Masquerade
by emmytsa
Summary: A group of hightech thieves have their sights set on the Montecito while two employees try to work out their issues and find love with each other again.
1. Chapter 1

**_I've been debating posting this story. I've been writing off and on for the past six months and posting it on another board, but with the direction the show has taken lately I wasn't sure there would still be any interest with the general LV audience for a Danny/Mary story. It starts around the first of the year and goes AU from there. It was just my take on the way things might have gone. It's unfinished, but is up to 37 chapters since somewhere along the way it took a few detours that I did not originally intend for it to include. I'm not sure how much longer it will be, but I hope to get it finished in the next month or so. I'm going to post the first few chapters and see if I get any feedback. If no one seems interested then I won't bother posting the rest. It's just too time consuming to post if no one is going to be reading it. So if you would like me to keep going then please let me know. I've gotten some really good response in the past to my stories over here so I'd love to hear everyone's opinions. _**

-1-

"Mary, did you approve private use of Bella Petto for Mr. Cates?" Danny hurried to catch up with the hotel manager as she quickly made her way across the casino floor.

"Yes, what's the problem?" Mary responded in a clipped tone, still heading briskly towards her office.

"You really should run something like that by me or Ed…," Danny tried not to sound patronizing, but failed miserably.

"Why? I have the authority to do that, Danny," Mary's tone was irritated and she finally stopped to look at him.

"I know, but…"

"But what?" she snapped, her hands firmly on her hips. "Is there a problem with the guy?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Then why are we even having this conversation? I've got to go."

Danny stood there stunned as he watched her disappear down the hallway towards the executive offices. How had it come to this between them? Since Mary had left Jake Danny had been trying to give her some space—trying to let her find herself again, but finding herself seemed to involve pushing him as far away as possible. Every once in awhile she would let her guard down and he would get a glimpse of the old Mary--the girl he grew up with; the woman he loved, but even those times had disappeared since that fateful night two weeks ago.

"You know, in the beginning this new Mary thing was kind of fun," Sam's voice startled Danny out of his thoughts. "She'd finally gotten a back bone, but lately she's just turned into a bitch. I thought maybe that little vacation she took would help, but it seems to have just made things worse,"

"Well, maybe something happened," Delinda chimed in as she joined her friends. Not caring to hear another girlfriend analysis of Mary's behavior, Danny turned to head back to the security room.

"Maybe whoever she was supposed to spend the week with didn't show up," Danny stopped short at Delinda's words. Mary had told all of them she was going on the vacation by herself. Was it possible Delinda and Sam knew something he didn't? He tried to be nonchalant as he turned back towards the girls to hear the rest of their conversation.

"I know we thought she was meeting someone, but I talked to my friend Skipper in Vail...," Sam started to say.

"You have a friend named Skipper?" Delinda interrupted.

"Do you want to hear this or not?"

"Sorry."

"So, according to Skipper all of Mary's reservations were for one. She spent the whole trip _alone_--ate dinner by herself, went shopping by herself, skiing by herself—which, by the way, he says she's pretty good."

Danny smiled as he remembered their senior class trip to Whistler. Mary had been terrified at first, but he'd given her one lesson and she'd been skiing circles around him by the end of the week.

"Hmmm, so she really did go on this trip by herself. Well, that's enough to put anyone in a bad mood," Delinda responded.

"No kidding," Sam laughed as they both headed in different directions, leaving Danny standing once again by himself.

He knew it was selfish, but he was relieved that there didn't seem to be someone else in Mary's life. He also hated that he now knew for sure what had sent his fragile relationship with Mary into a tailspin. It was something that he'd hoped would start them on the track to reconciliation, but instead it had caused what little was left of their friendship to crash and burn.

_Two weeks earlier…_

"Thanks for digging this stuff out for me, Danny. When we cleared out your dad's place I didn't think I'd be needing any of this anytime soon," Mary said as she sifted through the box marked "Ski Stuff".

"It's no problem," Danny responded as he handed her a beer. "Are you ready for your trip?"

"I think so. Sam's got a friend at the resort up there and he's pretty much planned my whole week for me. It should be nice to get away and not have to worry about anyone but me for awhile."

"You deserve it, Mare," Danny responded quietly.

The awkward silence that followed was broken by Mary's gasp. "Omigod. Do you remember this?" she asked as she held up a brown and yellow scarf that was about six feet long and varying widths.

"Hey, I've been looking for this," Danny said as he snatched it from her hand and wound it around his neck.

"You have to be joking? I can't believe you kept that thing."

"Of course I kept it. You made it for me," Danny said as he fingered the frayed tassels.

"Not one of my greatest accomplishments," Mary said.

"Don't mock the scarf, Mary. This kept me very warm when we were in Canada."

"If I remember correctly you only wore it because your Dad made you. You said it was the ugliest thing you'd ever seen."

"That's just what I wanted everyone else to think so they wouldn't try to swipe it."

Mary's eyes sparkled as she threw her head back and laughed and Danny thought it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He realized in that instant how much he'd missed her and he couldn't stop himself. He leaned forward and captured her lips in a soft, but passionate kiss. When he finally pulled back he cringed at the stunned look on Mary's face. He realized that maybe he'd overstepped, but the moment had been so perfect that he couldn't resist.

After a few moments Mary still stared at him silently, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize. Before he could open his mouth to beg her to speak she turned the tables on him. Suddenly, Mary was kissing him. She held his head in place as she devoured his mouth with her own. Danny wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer as they both struggled to stand. Their hands desperately roamed each other's bodies and they stumbled down the hall, collapsing on Danny's bed in a tangle of arms and legs.

When Danny woke the next morning to the first rays of sun streaming through the window he was alone. Mary was gone and they had yet to speak about what had happened that night—in fact, other than a few stilted conversations and work-related arguments they hadn't spoken much at all.

Danny hated how awkward things had become. He'd always counted on Mary to fix whatever problems they were having in their relationship, but it seemed that if they were going to work through this Danny was going to have to make the first move.


	2. Chapter 2

- 2 -

"Mike, we got a guy with a monkey's paw—four rows to your right," Danny watched his friend on the monitor as he spoke into his cell phone.

"I'm on it, Danny," Mike responded as he hurried towards the dollar slots.

"He's making a run for it," Danny yelled as he watched the guy take off towards the exit door, Mike hot on his heels.

The thief rounded the black jack tables and headed past another bank of slots --dodging in and out of the crowd of people. Finally, coming into a bit of a clearing the man took off at full speed, but was stopped when he crashed hard into someone rounding the corner. Both bodies slammed into a slot machine and Mike tried to avoid adding himself to the pile. By that time two burly security guards had joined the pursuit and they roughly pulled the guy to his feet only to reveal the crumpled form of the hotel manager beneath him.

"Damn, you okay? That was a pretty hard hit," Mike asked as he helped Mary to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said as she tried to find her balance.

"Let's find someplace for you to sit down."

"Really, Mike, I'm okay."

"Well, we'll let Danny decide. I'm sure he'll be down here in about 30 seconds." Just as the words left Mike's mouth the "Employees Only" door along the far wall swung open to reveal a panicked Danny McCoy.

"Danny, I'm fine. I just got the wind knocked out of me. It's nothing," Mary tried to calm him as he approached. She could only imagine how bad it had looked on the monitor because from her position on the ground it had been a pretty rough blow.

Danny took one of her arms while Mike took the other and together they helped her towards one of the benches just inside the lobby. The first thing Danny noticed after she sat down was her broken shoe and a rather nasty bruise forming on her thigh.

"Guys, you're overreacting. I promise I'm okay. This really isn't necessary." Ignoring her protests, Danny ran his fingers through her hair and Mary winced when he reached the sensitive knot already forming on her head.

"Come on. I'm taking you upstairs," he ordered her.

"Danny…"

"Don't even try to argue with me right now, Mary. Now, do you want me to carry you or can you walk?"

"I'll walk," she told him defiantly as she hobbled towards the elevator. Mary hated that she had to accept his help, but she knew when it came to her health and safety there really was no way Danny was going to be swayed. And that small part of her she'd tried so hard to bury, couldn't help but feel special.

---

"Okay, I'm in my room, in my pajamas. I'm taking it easy. You can go now."

"Nah, my shift's over. I thought we could watch a movie," Danny removed his coat and reached for the remote--making himself comfortable on the couch.

"Danny, I don't think that's a good idea," Mary half-heartedly protested. The truth was that deep down the thought of spending an evening with Danny sounded perfect, but she just wasn't ready. Her feelings were still too raw and she needed more time and more emotional distance between them before she could relax in his company.

"Come on," Danny coaxed as he patted the couch cushion beside him. "I know you've been dying to see Wedding Crashers—now sit!"

Mary huffed and plopped herself down on the couch--instantly regretting the hasty move when her head began to throb. Despite Danny's efforts to draw her attention by laughing hysterically throughout the entire movie, Mary kept her eyes glued to the screen. Once the end credits began to roll she jumped to her feet.

"Okay. Movie's over," she told him hastily as she handed him his coat and ushered him towards the door.

"How can you not be in a good mood after watching that? It was hilarious, Mare," Danny sidestepped her efforts to escort him out and headed back into the suite.

Realizing that he was stalling, Mary finally turned to him. "Danny, why are you really here?"

"What? Can't a guy hang out with his best friend?" Danny asked with mock innocence.

"Danny?" Mary's tone was a warning that she was not in the mood for any more games.

Sighing, Danny threw his coat back on the couch and turned to her, "I want to talk about what happened the night before you left."

All the color drained from Mary's face before she replied, "Look, Danny, we don't need to talk about that."

"I think we do. You can barely stand to be in the same room with me, Mary. I mean, look at you—you can't wait to get me out of here."

"Danny, can't we just forget about it?" Mary begged.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to forget?"

"Don't you?"

"No. In fact, it's pretty much the only thing I can think about."

"It was a momentary lapse in judgment," Mary told him dejectedly.

"Bullshit," Danny spat angrily.

"Danny…," Mary was shocked at his tone, but he refused to be interrupted.

"No, Mary, that night… that connection was what you and I are all about."

"Meaningless sex," Mary tried to sound bitter, but it fell flat.

"You're actually going to look me in the eye and tell me that it didn't mean anything to you?"

Mary did meet Danny's gaze, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a whispered, "No."

"It meant everything, Mary."

They stared at each other for a moment, both their eyes brimming with tears before Mary shook her head and turned towards the bathroom.

"Danny, I'm tired and my head is killing me. I can't talk about this anymore."

"Fine," Danny said as he began removing his shirt, tossing her the Advil that sat on the side table.

"What are you doing?" Mary asked him as she tugged nervously on the child-proof cap.

"Mary, you probably have a concussion," he told her as he shed his pants and grabbed a pillow off the bed. "I'm not leaving you."

Mary's heart began to race as she watched Danny pull a spare blanket from the closet, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. "Danny, I want you to go," she tried to sound forceful as she spoke around the lump in her throat.

"No you don't," he told her dismissively with a smirk. If his plan to win her back was going to work, Danny was going to have to throw Mary off-balance. He figured forcing her to spend some time in close quarters with him was as good a way as any to do that—even if they were just sleeping.

Danny's arrogance was making Mary angry now and she let him know it, "I'm warning you, Danny. I'll call security."

"Mary, they work for me," he chuckled as he headed towards the sofa.

"Then I'll call the police."

"Go for it. Their number's 911." Danny spread the blanket out on the couch and threw the pillow against the arm. They both knew she wasn't serious, but just the fact that she'd said it showed Danny that his efforts at making her uncomfortable were succeeding.

Mary stood in the bedroom doorway staring at him incredulously before all the fight finally went out of her. "Why are you making this so difficult?" she asked quietly, her voice laced with sadness.

It broke Danny's heart, but he knew he had to get through to her and the direct approach was not going to work. "You're the one being difficult, Mary," Danny said as he led her to the bed and held back the comforter so she could lie down. "I'm being chivalrous," he gave her a wink and Mary couldn't help but smile. It was a small victory, but at this point Danny would take whatever he could get.

He tucked her in tight and gave her a kiss on the forehead before heading back to the couch-- calling out one last time before switching off the light, "I'll see you in the morning."


	3. Chapter 3

- 3 -

Mary slowly opened her eyes as the sun shown brightly through the window of her suite. The dull throbbing in her head quickly reminded her of yesterday's tumble into the slot machine and she cautiously let her fingers trace the lump which had taken up residence at the back of her skull.

_"Not too bad,"_ she thought to herself as she experimented with a bit more pressure. While it was still tender, it wasn't nearly as bad as she'd expected. Suddenly, she heard a noise from the front room and she sat up--remembering that Danny had slept on the couch.

"Good morning, Sleepyhead," he sing-songed as he breezed into the bedroom pushing a cart covered in food. He was dressed in a different suit than he'd been wearing yesterday and showed no signs of the uncomfortable night he must have spent on the sofa. "How's your head?"

"Much better," Mary replied as she watched him move across the room.

"Wolfgang was in early so I asked him if he'd make you some breakfast. I wasn't actually expecting him to say 'yes', but apparently he likes you," Danny told her as he removed the silver cover from a plate to reveal a stack of blueberry pancakes. It smelled divine and Mary's stomach let out a grumble of approval. They both chuckled at the noise before Mary regained her composure and excused herself to use the bathroom.

After a few moments she returned to find Danny sitting at the small table in the corner of the room—an amazing spread of food laid out in front of him.

"You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble, Danny," Mary perched rigidly in the chair across from him, taking a small sip of her orange juice as she spoke, "I haven't even really been eating breakfast lately."

"Yes, I know," Danny said as he laid a napkin across her lap, "And I must say I'm very disappointed in you, Mary. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day—isn't that what you always used to tell me?"

Mary didn't reply. The truth was a few months ago she would have told Danny that very thing. She'd always taken care of him just like he'd done for her, but somewhere along the way she felt things had shifted and the care she thought was mutual became one-sided. She felt like instead of a caring friend Danny saw her as a nag. Looking back she wasn't sure when things had taken that turn, but she knew exactly when she'd finally figured it out. Even though Danny's relationship with Penny had been based on a lie, his indifference to Mary and her opinions during the last part of it had made her realize that things would never be the same. During that time he'd avoided her calls like the plague and despite the fact that she was still helping him pack up his dad's things he remained cold and distant.

She didn't blame him for it. In fact, Mary told herself that she probably deserved it. She knew her relationship with Jake had hurt him deeply despite his efforts to hide it. Mary had wanted him to find happiness, but all the effort she'd put into rebuilding their relationship in the months after his father died had been tossed out in a second. He'd turned to the new woman in his life and Mary realized that she'd never hold that special place in his heart again. If it wasn't Penny it would be someone else. The night Ed had offered her the position of hotel manager, Danny had been her first call, but when he didn't answer his phone, somehow Mary knew that she'd been pushed down the list and she cried herself to sleep that night—alone in the bed she shared with Jake.

Things were different now—they had to be. She couldn't cry over Danny McCoy or anyone else anymore. She supposed it was her pride finally bubbling to the surface that had made her pull herself as far away from him as she could get. She didn't want to lose him completely, but she needed to find out who she was separate of him. Even Jake, in the last days of their failing relationship, had called her Danny's little puppy dog--always following him around desperate for any scraps he would give her. Well not any more. She was done taking whatever the men in her life were willing to give. The declaration sounded empowering in her head—now she just had to get her heart on the same page.

"Earth to Mary," Danny interrupted her thoughts and she realized she'd been sitting with her fork halfway to her mouth for quite some time. "Anything you want to share with the rest of the class, Miss Connell?"

"N-no," Mary stuttered. "I was just thinking about everything I have to do today."

Danny could tell she was lying, but he didn't want to push. He'd done enough of that last night and he didn't want to scare her off completely.

"Well, I'll let you finish your breakfast and get ready then. Maybe we can meet up for lunch later if you're not too busy."

The automatic protest died on Mary's lips when Danny leaned over and kissed her softly on the side of her mouth—placing his hand over hers where it lay on the table.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Danny looked deeply into her eyes as he waited for an answer. Mary stared at their hands for several long moments--finally forcing herself to meet his gaze and giving him a slight nod before turning back to her breakfast. Danny gave her hand one last squeeze and headed out of the suite.

Once the door was securely shut behind him Danny let his head bang softly against the hard wood. At so many points in his life he'd been able to look in her eyes and see everything he needed to keep him going and now she just looked broken. Had he done that to her? Had Jake? He supposed at this point it didn't matter--he was determined that he would be the one to fix it.

---

Danny walked into Wolfgang's to see his friends waiting for him at a back table. He sat in the only remaining chair between Delinda and Mike and gave the waitress his drink order. He hadn't been at the table five seconds before he felt a hand on his knee and for the first time in his life he actually hoped it was Mike's. _"No such luck,"_ he thought as he glanced down to see Delinda's slim fingers working their way up his leg. He discreetly moved her hand back to her own lap and gave her a pointed look before addressing Mary who was seated across the table, "I was getting worried about you, Mare. Why haven't you been answering your phone?"

"I've been meeting with the auditors all day and I had it turned off," she said without looking up from her menu.

"Your head still doing okay?" Mary couldn't help but be touched by the concern in his tone. So much so that she felt it necessary to take a deep breath before responding—just to keep her emotions in check.

"Yeah. Just a bit of a headache, but that's all," she graced him with a warm smile before turning her attention elsewhere.

"So, Sam, I hear Casey's going to be here next week. Have the two of you come to any sort of agreement?"

"Yeah, he's giving me a nice settlement and stock in the Montecito so at least I'll have some say about what goes on around here."

"And all you had to do was calm down and be nice to the poor dude," Mike chimed in.

Everyone shared a good laugh at Sam's expense before the waitress arrived to take their order. Danny could see that Mary was a bit more relaxed than she'd been earlier and he was glad that she seemed to be enjoying herself a bit. He wanted her to be happy before anything else and he hoped he had just the plan to make that happen. He'd lost quite a bit of sleep over the last few nights, but he felt that he'd come to some pretty important conclusions. No matter what, Mary had always put others first--even at the cost of her own happiness—and Danny realized now that even though he loved her beyond words he had done a terrible job of showing her just how much she meant to him. Mary had been on the back burner in too many people's lives for too long and Danny was the worst offender of all. He intended to shower her with so much attention that she couldn't help but feel special and loved and hopefully somewhere along the way she'd fall for him again.

Almost before he could finish that thought he felt Delinda's hand again. In the two months since their conversation neither one had given any indication that they planned to consummate their drunken agreement. Of course, now that he'd finally realized that he wanted to be with Mary, Delinda would decide to make a move. If he could just get through this lunch then he could take her aside and explain that he wasn't interested anymore—that he'd decided it was better if they were just friends. Unfortunately, Delinda was hell-bent on causing a scene as she moved beyond his thigh to his groin. Danny shot up from the table—knocking his chair over in the process.

"Danny, are you okay," Mary asked him, alarm clearly evident in her tone.

He briefly thought about faking a story about something running across his foot, but considering their recent health department problems, he quickly decided against it. He still had to get out of there fast before Delinda's wandering hand tore through the last delicate threads of his relationship with Mary--threads he was trying desperately to weave back together. "I just… I just remembered I forgot to do something. Will you have them box up my food? I'll pick it up later."

Ignoring everyone else at the table Danny leaned down to kiss Mary's head before hastily exiting the restaurant. The rest of the group, including Delinda, were so startled by Danny's strange departure that they didn't notice the gesture, but it definitely was not lost on Mary.


	4. Chapter 4

- 4 -

"I need to talk to you," Danny grabbed Delinda as he passed through the kitchen at Mystique and pulled her out the back entrance towards a secluded hallway.

"No need to get rough, Danny. I'm all yours," she cooed as Danny found an unlocked door and ushered her inside. "I was beginning to think you'd changed your mind," Delinda told him as she wound her arms around his neck and pushed her body against his.

"Yeah, about that…." Danny had been waiting for an opportunity to talk to her all day and with Mary busy again with the auditors he thought this was the perfect time. He carefully extricated himself from her embrace and held her at arms length—his grip gentle but firm on her shoulders.

"Listen, Delinda. I know we had this agreement, but I've been thinking about it and I really think it's a bad idea." That was good. He'd go for the diplomatic approach. He wasn't sure where things were going with Mary yet, but he did know that if anything happened between Delinda and him it would be disastrous in more ways than one.

"Well, maybe I can convince you," she purred as she reached for the buckle of his belt.

"NO!" Danny stilled her hands and moved across the small space—putting as much distance between them as possible and finally realizing that a storage closet was probably not the best place to be having this conversation.

"Delinda, you're one of my best friends and your father is my boss and I just don't think we should go down this road again."

"Daddy was finally coming around to the idea of the two of us before I broke up with you. He'll be okay with it again."

"He may have been okay with us dating, but I can guarantee you he would not be okay with this 'bed buddy' arrangement," Danny argued back.

Delinda looked at Danny for several moments, studying his expression and trying to get a read on where this was all coming from. A few weeks ago he'd seemed so anxious to start something up again. She knew that he'd been a little drunk and a lot horny at the time, but ... Suddenly, something occurred to her, "This isn't really about my father, is it?"

Danny looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights. There was no way he was going to tell her about his plan. She'd tell Sam and then Mary would know and if she didn't laugh at his arrogance she'd lock her heart up so tight he'd probably never reach her. He decided to be as cryptic as possible and hope Delinda accepted it.

"He's a big part of it, but you're right. There's other stuff involved."

"I knew it," she exclaimed and Danny cringed hoping she wouldn't ask him to elaborate. "You still have feelings for me, don't you?"

Okay, that wasn't what he was expecting. "Huh?"

"Poor Danny. You don't think you can handle a purely sexual relationship because you won't be able to keep your feelings for me out of it."

"Uh, that's not…"

Delinda held her finger up to his lips to stop him from speaking, "Despite all the talk, you just don't have it in you. Do you?"

"Uh, Delinda…," he tried to talk but she cut him off.

"It's okay, Danny. I understand. We'll hold off on this for now, but if you change your mind…just let me know."

She kissed him on the cheek and exited the storeroom. Danny stood there briefly, dumbfounded, but shook it off and followed her out—each of them going their separate ways. Delinda may have gotten the wrong idea, but at least he'd bought himself some time to work things out with Mary. Hopefully, the next time it came up he'd be able to tell Delinda the real reason. Of course, neither one of them noticed the figure at the end of the hall who'd seen them both leave the closet—Delinda fixing her lipstick and Danny adjusting his tie.

---

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…," Mary mumbled to herself as she walked heavily across the casino floor.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Sam asked as she pulled Mary by the arm and behind a bank of slots.

"Nothing, I just… it doesn't matter, Sam," Mary couldn't possibly tell Sam how she'd once again let herself hope only to have that hope shattered by reality.

"Mary, wait…," Sam called as Mary turned on her heel and headed away before her friend could see the tears forming in her eyes. She hurried purposefully through the lobby until she was safely inside an elevator—jamming her finger against the button for the top floor. Once she made her way to the roof she leaned both hands against the railing and took a few deep, cleansing breaths.

How could she let herself get like this again when she'd worked so hard to get past it? Mary knew how, but the thought only made her despise herself even more. She hated that after just a few sweet words and gestures and a little bit of Danny's precious attention she was right back where she'd started—hopelessly in love. After his actions the past twenty-four hours, she'd foolishly started to let herself believe that he might actually still have feelings for her. Of course that was quickly squelched when she'd seen him with Delinda. Thoughts of a similar encounter between the two of them left little doubt in her mind what they'd been doing in that closet. Mary swallowed the bile that rose in her throat and turned to look out onto the Strip. She had to let this go. She'd been doing so well before. Of course, she'd completely cut herself off from everyone, but it was just how it had to be--at least for now. It was the only way she knew how to cope.

---

"Hey, boss. What's going on?" Mike asked as he and Danny walked into Ed's office.

"Close the door and sit down," Ed told them gruffly without looking up from the file in his hand. Once his two employees were seated he quickly frosted the office glass and handed the file to Danny.

"Masquerade? What is this?" the security chief asked as he studied the documents.

"It's a gang of thieves who've been making their way across the globe--named for the sick calling card they've been leaving behind. They've hit three casinos so far—one in Monte Carlo, another in Hong Kong and just two weeks ago--The Diamond Shore in Atlantic City," Ed informed them giving them a moment to process the information before continuing.

"In Monte Carlo and Hong Kong they kidnapped a family member of the owner or CEO and ransomed them for an exorbitant amount of money—basically forcing the owner to help them rob the casino. Once they were successful they released the family member unharmed."

Mike let out a low whistle as he looked at the papers Danny handed him. These guys weren't messing around. They'd already stolen close to $20 million.

"What happened in Atlantic City?" Danny asked, sensing there was something big Ed was leaving out.

"They snatched the niece of the President of Operations. Against their instructions, he contacted the FBI. They tried to set up a sting, but the guys were one step ahead of them. They got away with $5 million."

"And the niece?"

"She was found dead two days later."

Mike and Danny stared at their boss before Danny started to speak, "Ed, you don't think…"

"So far we have no indication that they plan to target the Montecito, but I wanted you both to be aware of it. I've already talked to Casey and he wants us to keep him informed. I'm going to talk to Jillian and Delinda about getting some extra security for them, but I'd like it if the two of you would keep a look out."

"Of course," they both replied.

"Okay, that's it for now. I'll let you know if we hear anything else."

---

Danny made his way towards the lobby lost in thought. He couldn't imagine how Ed must be feeling. He knew the older man was trying not to overreact. There were dozens of places these guys could hit, but the thought that his position might cause his family to be in danger must be terrifying for his boss.

"What the hell did you do to Mary?"

Danny was startled by a firm slap to the back of his head. "Sam? What the hell?"

"She was actually in a good mood this morning and now she's all pissy again."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't even seen her since lunch. What happened?"

"I don't know, but just find her and see if you can work that famous McCoy charm to cheer her up again. Gotta go," Sam hurried off as she noticed one of her whales making his way towards them.

Danny quickly hit the speed dial on his phone, "Mike, I need a location on Mary."

After a few seconds Mike responded, "She's on the roof, Danny. Mitch says she's been up there for awhile."

"Thanks."


	5. Chapter 5

-5 -

The walls were back up—he could sense it in her posture. Her back was rigid as she watched the sun set behind the mountains.

"Hey," Danny said quietly, trying not to startle her.

She didn't turn around, just responded with her own quiet, "Hey."

"Sam said you were upset." If he thought she was tense before it was nothing compared to now. She pulled her arms around herself and Danny watched her shoulders move almost to her ears.

"I guess I'm just miserable and taking it out on everyone else. I'll apologize to her later."

She was trying to dismiss him, but he wasn't going to let her get away with it. "Why are you miserable?"

"It doesn't matter. Look, Danny, let's just get back inside," Mary turned to move past him, but he stopped her.

"I don't want to go back. I want to stay here with you so we can talk. I've missed that so much, you know? You used to tell me everything, Mary. Now I look at you and I have no idea what's going on in that beautiful head of yours." He ran his hands up and down her arms, trying to help her relax, but she still refused to meet his eyes.

"My head's probably not a place you want to be right now," she spoke so softly he had to strain to hear her above the breeze.

"Well, I'll be the judge of that. Tell me what's going on," Danny had moved his hand to her neck and was gently massaging the knots he found there.

"Why can't I get over you?" The thought formed in her head and was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"Mary…"

She pulled away from him then. The last thing she wanted was his pity. "This is a mistake, Danny. I can't talk to you about you and I can't talk to anyone else either," Mary said as she frantically wiped the tears from her face. "I don't know what to do anymore."

Danny couldn't stand to see her like this, but he knew that if they were going to make any progress he needed to know how she felt. "What do you want to do, Mary?"

"I just want to stop hurting every time I see you with someone else. I want to be able to talk to you again without my stomach getting caught in my throat. I want to be able to look at another guy without comparing him to you. I want to move on and I can't. And being with you that night just made it ten times harder."

Danny was completely taken aback. She said she wanted to move on, but everything she'd just said meant that she was still as much in love as he was.

When he didn't respond right away, Mary took a deep breath and tried to compose herself, "Look, Danny, I'm fine. I just need some time okay."

Danny was still trying to process everything she'd told him. His carefully thought out plan flashed through his mind and he decided that if he was going to be successful he needed to step it up. Danny just hoped that he could convince Mary that they were worth another shot.

"I think a year is more than enough time."

"What?" she asked him confused.

"It's been more than a year since I watched you walk away, Mary, and I'll be damned if I let it get to the point where I have to watch another man down on his knee in front of you. I want us to talk, right now," Danny's voice was forceful and Mary couldn't help but be confused.

"I don't understand. Why are you doing this _now_, Danny? I saw you and Delinda."

"I don't know what you saw, but there's nothing going on, Mary. I swear." Danny made a mental note to tell Mary everything that had happened with Delinda, but first he wanted to get things straight between the two of them. Unfortunately, fate had a different idea as Danny's cell phone chimed in his pocket. He let out something between an exasperated sigh and a growl as he noted Ed's name on the display.

"Yeah," he spoke tersely into the phone.

"Danny, I need you up here now," his boss' tone was just as short.

"I'm on my way, Ed," Danny slammed his phone shut before turning to look at Mary who had once again turned away from him.

"I'm sorry. I've got to go."

Mary didn't want Danny to see her tears so she stayed facing away from him only indicating she'd heard him with a nod of her head, but Danny knew her too well. He cautiously approached as she stared at the lights of the strip, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder.

"Will you meet me later?" he asked softly.

"Danny, please…let's just leave it, okay?" Mary trailed off as she tried not to cry.

He nuzzled the side of her face with his nose before placing a tender kiss just below her ear. "We can't keep running from each other, Mare. We have to work this out. There's a lot of stuff I need to tell you."

"Okay," Mary responded in a trembling voice.

"I'll call you as soon as I can get away."

---

"What's up?" When Danny entered the security room he saw Mike hunched over one of the monitors while Ed looked on.

"I want you and Mike to run diagnostics on every system. I want all the cameras checked and double-checked and all the top-level access codes changed. I also want to reevaluate all the surveillance areas. I don't want there to be one inch of this place that we can't see on a monitor."

"You got it. Is there any new information on the robberies?" Danny asked as he sat down to get to work.

"No," Ed told him as he headed up to his office, "but I just want to be prepared for anything."

Once Ed's door was closed, Mike turned to Danny. "What's going on with you and Mary?"

"Nothing…everything. We're just trying to work some stuff out."

"It's about time. You two just don't make sense apart, man. It's like you're both just wandering around aimlessly without your other half."

"Thank you for the insight, Dr. Phil," Danny replied sarcastically. "Come on, let's get started on this stuff. I don't want to be here all night."

---

It was almost midnight when Danny and Mike decided to finally call it a day. They'd finished most of the diagnostics and agreed to get started on the cameras first thing in the morning.

Danny walked down the hallway housing the executive offices and noticed Mary's light still on. Her door was slightly ajar and he watched her work for a moment before lightly rapping his fingers against the wall to get her attention.

"Working late?" he asked as he moved into the room, his long-since discarded tie hanging lazily from his hand.

"Yeah," she sighed, "but I think I'm almost done—at least for tonight."

"Have you eaten? I was thinking maybe we could grab a late dinner?"

Mary knew she couldn't put this off any longer. She'd done a lot of thinking since Danny had left her on the roof and had come to some important decisions. No matter what happened between her and Danny she needed some sort of closure on the past. The scary part was she just wasn't sure if that closure would mean the end of their story or the beginning of a new chapter.

"I'd like that." Her smile was tentative, but warm and Danny couldn't help but smile back.


	6. Chapter 6

**_It looks like a few people are enjoying this so I'll post a few more chapters. Please keep letting me know if I should continue. _**

CHAPTER 6

They traveled to a small, all-night diner they used to frequent when they were kids on the outskirts of town. It was cheap, but the food was excellent and they definitely wouldn't need to worry about running into anyone they knew.

Once the waitress had taken their order, Danny reached across the small table and took both of Mary's hands in his. He had decided to get everything out in the open about Delinda right from the start. "I want to explain the thing with Delinda."

"You don't have to," she told him softly.

"Yes, I do," he insisted before continuing, "I was lonely and…and…," even though Danny knew exactly the right word to describe what he was feeling at the time, he still couldn't bring himself to say it to Mary, "…something else…and Delinda and I had this stupid idea that we were both adults and if we wanted to have sex we should just say so."

Mary tried to disguise the hurt in her eyes, but Danny could see it and he squeezed both her hands before trying to reassure her, "It was all just talk. We never did anything. We didn't even come close."

"Oh," Mary spoke quietly, "but I saw you coming out of the closet this morning…and I just thought."

If Danny had been willing to let go of Mary's hands he would have smacked himself for being so stupid. He had just wanted some place private and he hadn't stopped to consider what it might look like to anyone else.

"Nothing happened. For some reason Delinda picked today of all days to try to enforce the agreement. I tried to tell her 'no', but you know Delinda…"

Danny continued to fill Mary in on his conversation with Delinda as the waitress delivered their food. Once he was finished with his explanation, he waited for Mary to respond. He was expecting her to be skeptical or hurt or disgusted, but he was not prepared for the fit of giggles that greeted him from across the table.

"Okay, um…so I guess you're not mad?"

"Mad? You let Delinda believe that you didn't want to sleep with her because you might still have feelings for her?"

"Well, sort of. I'm going to tell her the truth, I just didn't want her running off and ruining things before I got a chance to talk to you."

Mary was still laughing and though it was quite a beautiful sound--one that he'd missed tremendously--Danny couldn't help but be slightly offended.

"I still don't understand what's so funny."

"Danny, you do realize that this will be all over the Montecito by tomorrow. She's going to tell everyone that you turned down a booty call because you're too… sensitive."

Danny had just been worried about her talking to Mary. He hadn't stopped to consider that she might reveal their conversation to anyone else.

At his horrified expression, Mary ran her hands soothingly up his forearms, her eyes still sparkling with laughter. The soft strokes of her fingers made Danny's skin tingle and he immediately forgot about Delinda. He closed his eyes for a moment until Mary abruptly stopped, signaling the waitress had returned to refill their drinks.

"Okay, so I'm glad that's all out in the open. I don't want you to think there's anything going on—because there's not. For a lot of reasons, but most importantly being you and me."

"Danny…," her mood instantly shifted and she found herself once again trying to protest the conversation she knew was inevitable.

"No, please just let me say this. If anyone can understand all those things you told me earlier, Mary, it's me, because I've felt them too. And I can't help but think that maybe if we're both having such a hard time then we're not supposed to move on."

"Danny, you and I…it's just too hard for us to be together."

"It couldn't be any harder than it is to be apart."

Danny was right. Being apart had been absolute torture—even when she'd thrown herself into a relationship with Jake there was always a part of her that longed for Danny—ached for him. But it was that same ache that kept her from jumping back into his arms. Giving him that ring back had been the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, but she knew it had been the right thing at the time. She just didn't know if she could handle the hurt again if it didn't work out.

"Danny, I love you--you know that I do and I'll always be here if you need me, but I'm just not sure this is what you really want."

"You're wrong, Mary. I let you go because I wanted what was best for you and at that point in my life I knew that it wasn't me. And as much as it hurt I really wanted things to work out with you and Jake. I hoped he could give you all the things that I couldn't."

Danny took a deep breath before continuing--hoping that he could make Mary understand what had been the turning point for him. "I thought I had moved on—I pushed you away, tried to see other people, but something happened to me that day when I saw Jake proposing. The minute I saw him on the monitor, roses in one hand, ring in the other I knew I had to get to you. I flew down to the casino floor like a mad man and I'm really not sure what I planned to do once I got there. All I knew was that I couldn't let it happen."

Mary stared at him in shock. She had no idea Jake's proposal had affected him that way. He'd been so supportive and comforting while still giving her the space she'd asked for—he'd been exactly what she needed.

"Luckily, I didn't have to do anything—you said 'no' and I have never felt so much relief in my entire life."

"But, you never said anything…"

"I tried, but when you were so insistent that you didn't need my help…"

"I wasn't pushing you away, Danny. I just didn't want to fall back into old patterns. I just needed to figure out who I was without anyone else in the picture. I was trying to be strong—trying to not rely on you so much."

"You've always been strong, Mary—stronger than all of us. And despite what everyone else says—I love how confident you've become. You've just been so independent that it scared me a little bit. You didn't need me anymore." The last part was said so quietly Mary barely heard him.

"Danny, I will _always_ need you."

Danny closed his eyes—that simple phrase allowing him to finally release the breath he felt like he'd been holding for months.

Mary couldn't stop the tears as she saw how her words had affected him. She laced her fingers through his and gave them a gentle squeeze—silently imploring him to look at her again. "I can't imagine my life without you, Danny." Mary hesitated before her next words, "but… we don't have to be together to stay close. I know you were scared when you thought I was going to marry Jake, but…forcing some sort of romantic relationship just because you're afraid of losing me..."

"You think that's what I'm doing? Forcing a relationship?"

"I don't know," Mary put her face in her hands, suddenly exhausted, "I'm so confused."

"Well, for the first time in my life I'm not where you're concerned. I love you. I want to be with you, Mary. The question is—do you still want to be with me?"

Mary looked up at him, her eyes still full of tears, and the hope and uncertainty in his gaze was too much for her to bear. She looked out the window before replying, "More than anything, Danny, but I just don't know if I can…"

Danny brought her hand up to softly brush his lips across her knuckles. "I'm not giving up, Mary."

"I know," she smiled as they both finished their dinner in silence.

As they walked to their cars, hand in hand, Danny felt an insatiable desire to kiss her. He pulled her arm until she was facing him and descended on her lips before she had a chance to protest. Cradling her head in his hands he moved them until her back encountered the fender of her car—allowing Danny to press himself fully against her.

"Come home with me," he whispered breathlessly. "Stay with me tonight and let me show you how much I need you."

Mary's head was spinning, but she knew she had to take control of the situation. She caressed his cheek--kissing him softly on the lips before replying, "Danny, I can't."

Pressing his forehead to hers, their lips met one more time before Danny pulled back and opened the car door.

Once she was safely inside, Danny lowered his head so that it was even with the open window. "If you change your mind, you know where I'll be."

They exchanged one last longing look before Mary drove off into the night.

---

She'd been driving for what seemed like hours. There was no way she could sleep—not after everything Danny had told her. Somewhere along the way it had started to rain—a rare occurrence in Las Vegas—and it somehow felt appropriate. She could still hear Danny's beautiful words--almost like they were on some sort of continuous loop in her head. Of course, now they were being drowned out by a different voice—a voice that sounded frighteningly like Sam.  
_  
"Are you out of your mind? This is Danny McCoy—the boy you've loved since you were two. He's practically begging to be with you. He's told you everything you've dreamed of hearing from him for years. Why the hell are you driving around Las Vegas in the middle of the night like a crazy woman when you could be warm and sated in his bed?" _

She really didn't have an answer to that question. All the excuses she'd built up over the last year finally seemed like just that—excuses. She knew deep down that she would never love anyone more than she loved Danny and if he wanted her too—what was she doing half way across town?

---

Danny lay in bed staring at the ceiling fan. He'd been trying for hours to fall asleep, but to no avail. His mind just wouldn't shut off as it replayed the events of the past two days. He didn't think there was anything he could have done differently. He'd put his heart out there and all he could do was wait for Mary to decide if she was willing to do the same.

A persistent knocking startled him out of his thoughts and he grabbed his t-shirt and headed for the door. A quick glance through the peephole revealed the cause of his insomnia and he quickly disengaged the locks and threw open the door.

"I changed my mind," Mary told him--soaking wet and struggling to catch her breath.

"Oh, thank God." The words left Danny's mouth in a whoosh and Mary let out a squeal of laughter as he swiftly pulled her inside, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her to the bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

"Good morning, Ed," Casey Manning breezed into the new office occupied by his President of Operations.

"Casey? We weren't expecting you until next week," Ed stood up from his desk to shake the younger man's hand.

"I finished up early in Tokyo."

"Great. I was just going over the fourth quarter financials."

"I saw them. Fantastic, Ed. You've really exceeded all my expectations. And the non-gaming revenue is through the roof!" Casey poured a cup of coffee and made himself comfortable on the couch.

"Yes, well, I think we have our new hotel manager to thank for that. She's really done an outstanding job," Ed couldn't help but praise Mary. He only wished he'd realized sooner how wasted her talents were as merely a special events coordinator.

"Yes, Mary Connell--good call on that one. We really need to make sure that we keep her around."

"Well, I know she wants to stay at the Montecito, but she's a hot commodity right now. I'm sure she's getting a lot of other offers and we don't have her under contract." In all honesty, Ed wasn't sure that anyone else knew about the Montecito's secret weapon, but if it would help earn one of his "kids" a better salary he was willing to fudge the truth just a bit.

"Well, maybe we should talk about that. Tell me what you think we should offer her."

---

When Mary opened her eyes she immediately sensed that she was alone. The intense feelings of warmth and security that had surrounded her last night were missing and she stretched her hand across the bed hoping to find it again. The sudden realization that Danny was not there caused an uneasy feeling to settle in her stomach, but she shook it off when she smelled the delicious aroma of fresh brewed coffee wafting in from the other room.

Her eyes settled on Danny's gray dress shirt draped across the chair and she rose from the bed and reached for it. The scrape of the soft fabric against her skin and the slight smell of Danny that still clung to the garment sent a wave of goose bumps across her flesh. Mary took a moment to inhale the scent before fastening a few of the buttons and heading out in search of Danny.

"Good morning," he told her as he looked up from the paper. He was seated at the breakfast table, coffee cup in front of him and Mary couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning. What time is it?"

"It's almost 8:00," he replied as he got up to pour her a cup of coffee.

"Wow. I feel like we just went to sleep."

"We did. Someone couldn't get enough of me last night," Danny gave her a mischievous smile as he handed her the mug and leaned down to press a soft and lingering kiss to her lips.

"Mmmm. I didn't hear you complaining," Mary smirked as she ventured into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Just as she suspected—Danny had very little food and if they wanted breakfast they'd have to go out. Her heavy sigh caught Danny's attention and he pulled her to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried she was regretting what had happened between them.

Sensing his dismay, Mary quickly turned in his arms. "It's not you. It's something silly."

"Tell me."

"I miss my kitchen," she pouted.

"Huh?"

"Living in a hotel room for so many months—it's just starting to get to me."

Now Danny was beginning to understand. Mary had always enjoyed the everyday joys of domestic life. She'd cooked and cleaned for him and his dad when she lived with them and when she'd had her own place she'd taken to hosting dinner parties for all of them. Danny couldn't count the number of times he had stopped by her place always to find a plate of cookies or something equally yummy sitting out on the counter. He was sure that had only increased tenfold when she lived with Jake since she obviously had a lot of time on her hands.

It hadn't occurred to him before, but thinking about it now, he couldn't believe Mary had lasted this long without a place to call home.

"Well, you can come over here and cook any time you want. I'll even let you clean."

Mary swatted him playfully before responding, "I'm going to ignore the last part of that remark since I know somewhere in there you were trying to be sweet."

"I was serious before when I said you could stay with me."

"I know, but don't you think that would be rushing things a bit?" Mary wound her arms around his neck and began to nibble his ear before continuing, "That is, unless you were thinking about me staying in the guest bedroom."

"You actually think I could sleep knowing you were just two doors away."

"No, because I wouldn't be able to either." Mary gave him one last open-mouthed kiss on his neck before pulling back to meet his eyes. "I think we need to keep a little bit of space. I just don't want to move too fast."

Danny could sense her hesitancy and he wanted to reassure her, "I'm not going to get scared, Mary. I want this."

"So do I, but we don't have to do everything at once, right? We've never had that excitement that comes along with a new relationship, Danny. We always just jumped right to the end and I'd kind of like to enjoy just being together for awhile. Am I making sense?"

"Sort of," Danny knew what she meant, and even though he still hated that she was so skittish about them being together he decided as long as they were moving forward he could wait for the rest.

"Okay, now don't get mad, but I have another request. Would you mind if we kept this to ourselves for awhile?"

Danny's brow knitted in confusion. The 'taking it slow' he could understand, but why would she want to keep their relationship a secret. "Why don't you want anyone to know that we're back together? Are you still not sure?" Danny couldn't hide the hurt in his voice.

"No! That's not it at all," Mary punctuated her statement with a gentle kiss. "I just…Sam and Delinda and even Mike sometimes… they just put so much pressure on us. I just want it to be about you and me—just for a little while, Danny. Please understand."

The pleading look in her eyes was his undoing, "Okay, I guess I understand."

Sensing he was still a little bit upset, Mary tried to put a different spin on it. "Think about it. It might be fun—sneaking around, secret rendezvous," the last few words dripping with seduction as they fell from her mouth.

"Mmmm," Danny closed his eyes as Mary's fingers worked their way down his chest and around his middle, finally coming to rest on his backside. When she gave him a playful squeeze Danny opened one eye and looked at her. "Okay, but just for awhile. I love you Mary and I just want everyone to know that you're mine."

Any other girl might have thought Danny's comments possessive or chauvinistic, but to Mary they were exactly what she'd been waiting her whole life to hear and she didn't care what anyone else thought.

"I love you too and I promise I'll make it worth your while," Mary put her arms around Danny's neck as he lifted her effortlessly, placing her on the kitchen counter. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him to her—needing to feel him as close as possible. Just as Danny began to undo the buttons of the shirt she wore her phone buzzed with a familiar tune.

"Let it ring," Danny said in between kisses, but they both knew that wasn't an option. Letting out a frustrated sigh as the phone continued to ring, Danny helped her off the counter and she ran quickly to her purse.

"Hey, boss," she answered cheerily, having seen Ed's number on the display.

---  
"Sure. Actually, I'm not at the hotel right now."

---  
"OK, see you then."

"That was Ed. He and Casey want to meet with me right away. I have to run if I'm going to get cleaned up and changed," Mary gave him a quick kiss before heading into the bedroom and trying to reassemble her hastily discarded clothing from the night before.

As Danny walked her to the parking lot he couldn't help but notice the position of her car. It was taking up two spaces and the front tires were partially in the grass.

"Nice parking job," he commented. "Were you in a hurry last night, or what?"

"Yes I was," Mary responded with mock-seriousness, "and once again I didn't hear you complaining so shut up."

Giving Danny one last kiss, Mary buckled herself in and headed back to the Montecito.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Mary breezed through the employee entrance and headed out onto the casino floor. Cutting across the floor was the fastest way to get to her room and she didn't want to keep Ed and Casey waiting any longer than absolutely necessary.

"Did you hear Casey's back early?" Mary had been so focused that she hadn't even noticed Sam walk up beside her.

"Um, yeah, I've actually got a meeting with him in about 20 minutes so I really don't have time to chat," Mary kept walking, hoping Sam would take the hint.

"Why do you think he's back early? You don't think there's anything going on, do you?"

She probably knew Sam better than anyone, but she still could not figure out her obsession with Casey. He seemed like a nice enough guy and Sam had been less than forthcoming about what he'd done to make her despise him so much. Mary guessed there was probably a very thin line between love and hate and Sam was precariously perched somewhere in the middle. "Sam, I really don't know. I got a call from Ed this morning saying they wanted to meet with me."

"He better not be trying to screw me again."

At those words Mary stopped and looked at her friend incredulously, "Do you actually think I've been called into a meeting of the 'Let's Screw Sam' Club? Stop being so paranoid. He agreed to the settlement so just let it go. I'll talk to you later."

Mary stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button for her floor just in time to see Sam finally look at her with a puzzled expression on her face. As the doors to the elevator slipped closed, Mary heard her friend ask, "Hey, isn't that the same outfit you had on yesterday?"

---

Danny and Mike sat in his office meticulously scrolling through every new camera angle on the monitors.

"I think we're good, Danny. All the new cameras are online and we've got all the programs modified to include them in the surveillance loop."

"Yeah, thanks, Mike" Danny said distractedly as he stared at the phone.

"So, you gonna tell me who she is?"

"Who?"

"Come on, man. I know that look. You got some booty last night."

Before Danny could respond Ed appeared at the doorway. "Rita said you were looking for me."

The relief he'd felt at being saved from Mike's question disappeared with Ed's inquiry. Danny sat there for a moment trying to think of an excuse that would explain why he'd called Ed's office seven times in the last two hours because it definitely hadn't been out of a need to talk to the man himself. The truth was Mary had been sequestered in there all morning and Danny had been anxious to see her.

He'd never been a good liar and he didn't think now would be any different. Danny cursed himself for not coming up with a cover story sooner. He should have figured that simply telling Ed's assistant not to give him any messages would fail to work after about the fourth call. Luckily, Mike chimed in and saved him from making a complete fool out of himself.

"We've got all the new cameras online, boss."

"Great."

Danny decided to gloss over Ed's earlier question and just follow Mike's lead, "I also spoke with Desert Security Contractors and they're sending over a couple of new guys. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have some extra bodies around and we've used them before."

"Yeah, good call. Just so you know, Jillian is coming to stay at the hotel for awhile. I'll just feel better if she's close by and I've also talked to Delinda. My buddy Frank is coming to town and she's agreed to let him shadow her whenever she leaves the property."

Ed turned to leave, but Danny couldn't help but ask, "Anything else we should know about? I saw that Casey was back earlier than expected."

"Nah--nothing that concerns you," Ed said as he headed down the stairs and out of the security room.

---

"Okay, so spill. Who's the hot young thing that has you all in a tizzy? I thought for sure you were going to work it out with Mary, man."

"Um…," Danny hesitated before coming up with what he hoped was a completely ambiguous answer. "Look, Mike. This thing is new and I just want to see where it's going before I get everyone else involved, you know." Well, that was a bit of a lie since he knew exactly where it was going, but he hoped Mike would accept it for now.

"It's cool, man, but when you feel you're ready to talk about it…I'm your first call, right?" Mike asked him excitedly as he headed towards the door.

"Sure." Mary was right. Their friends were too nosy for their own good and this secret relationship thing was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

After a few moments the phone on Danny's desk began to ring and he reached to pick it up.

"Danny McCoy."

"Hey, handsome."

"Finally! I thought maybe you'd changed your mind and run off with Ed and Casey. Your meeting went on forever," he joked.

"I know. It did run a bit long, but Danny—calling Ed's office repeatedly to find out if I'm still in there…not a good way to keep things on the down low," Mary couldn't help but tease him a bit.

She was worried at first that something had happened when Ed's secretary handed him the stack of messages as soon as they'd come out of the meeting, but when Rita followed up with the statement, "Mr. McCoy didn't say why he was calling, Mr. Deline. He just wanted to see if you were still in your meeting," Mary had a hard time smothering her laughter.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I guess I just…missed you…a little bit."

Mary couldn't help but smile as she replied, "Well, I missed you a little bit too."

Both of them were quiet for a moment before Mary spoke. "So, I have some news. Can you take a break so I can tell you about it?"

Danny had been anxious to see her before, but her excitement that now radiated through the phone had him almost bouncing in his chair. "Sure, where do you want to meet?"

"2703—in the Residences."

"The Residences?"

"Yeah, I'll see you there in about half an hour," Mary quickly finished. "I've got another call, sweetie. I'll see you soon," and with that the line went dead.

---

Danny stood in front of the door to #2703. Out of curiosity he had checked the tenant roster and learned that this particular unit was vacant and he couldn't help but wonder what Mary had planned. The thought that this might be one of their first secret meetings flitted through his mind and his body tingled with anticipation. He raised his hand to knock, but before he could make contact with the wood the door swung open to reveal an absolutely radiant Mary Connell. She grabbed him by the tie and pulled him inside—letting the door slam shut behind them.

After several long minutes of what could only be referred to as a "serious make-out session" Mary stepped away so that Danny could take in their surroundings. The condo was indeed vacant, with no furniture anywhere in sight. It was a corner unit and the living room had a stunning view of the Strip. To his left was a huge kitchen—much bigger than some of the other units he'd seen and beyond that a door which he assumed led to a bedroom.

"So, what do you think?" Mary finally asked him.

"Nice. I hadn't seen this floor plan yet. So what's going on? What are we doing here?"

"Checking out my new place."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yep. Ed and Casey offered it to me today. They like having me on site so they offered me this unit as part of my new compensation package."

"Mary…that's incredible! So, what exactly does that mean?"

"Well, they want me under contract so they put together a really nice deal. I countered on a few things—this being one of them since they didn't realize I wasn't happy in one of the regular suites—and when we agreed on everything, I signed it."

"Did you have anyone else look at the contract?" The words came out of Danny's mouth automatically and he wished he could take them back.

Luckily, Mary knew he was only looking out for her so she tried not to be offended. "I know it's probably naïve of me, Danny, but I trust Ed. I don't think he'd let me sign anything that would end up hurting me. It was a really great deal."

"I'm sure it was, baby. I'm sorry, you're right. Ed wouldn't do that to any of us." Danny leaned down to give her a soft kiss and when Mary responded in kind he knew all was forgiven.

"So, will you help me move in this weekend?"

"Of course...on one condition,"

Mary looked at him with an adorably puzzled expression as Danny maneuvered her towards the kitchen. In one swift motion he lifted her onto the counter and positioned himself between her legs--slowly running his hand up her thigh beneath the hem of her skirt. Mary's brows lifted in silent question before Danny pressed his forehead to hers.

"I want to finish what we started this morning," Danny's words were like honey as he reached to pull her leg around his waist; his mouth descending on the smooth column of her neck.

Mary moaned in pleasure before responding breathlessly, "Oh, I definitely think that can be arranged."


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

"So, are you going to tell us who's been putting that big smile on your face?"

The girls were curled up in Mary's living room, sipping margaritas and catching up. It had been almost two weeks since she and Danny had started seeing each other and so far they had been able to keep their relationship just between the two of them.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sam."

"Oh, whatever, Mary. We know you've got a new man so fess up—who is it?"

"Why do you think it's a man?" Mary couldn't help but tease her friends. She found it highly amusing that while Sam and Delinda knew she was seeing someone they had absolutely no clue that it was Danny.

"Omigod, you finally switched teams?"

Delinda's sudden comment caused Mary to laugh. "NO! I meant why can't I just be happy? I've got a great job, great friends, great new place to live…"

"Because, my dear girl, you have the look of a woman who is being thoroughly satisfied…on a regular basis," Sam piped up as she reached for her drink.

Delinda finished off the last bit of liquid in her glass before responding in a wistful tone, "Yeah, I haven't had that look for awhile…probably not since Danny."

Mary was sent into a fit of coughs as she almost choked on her drink. Sam gave Delinda a menacing glare before reaching across to pat Mary on the back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Sure…it just went down the wrong way," Mary assured them as she finally settled down. At one point in time that comment might have upset her, but she felt secure in her relationship with Danny and it only served to amuse her even more. _"If Delinda only knew…,"_ she thought to herself.

"Geez, Dee, have a little sensitivity."

"What? It's not like she's still seeing him. She's obviously got someone new," Delinda defended herself to Sam before turning to her other friend, "You're over him, right Mary?"

"Ummm…"

"Delinda, she'll never be over him. Even after she marries someone else, there will always be that little part of her that wonders 'what if'."

Completely uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken, Mary got up to refill their drinks.

"But I dated Danny too," Delinda whined before lowering her voice to a volume that only Sam could hear, "_…and he still has feelings for me._ Am I just never allowed to talk about that part of my life?"

_"Did he actually tell you that?"_ Sam whispered back.

"It was implied," Delinda stated emphatically, evoking an eye roll from Sam.

"Look, I'm not saying you can't talk about Danny. I'm just saying you need to practice a little bit of sensitivity. I know it's a new concept for you."

"You're going to lecture me about sensitivity, you…you …," Delinda spat at her incredulously before she was interrupted by Mary.

"Okay, that's enough. Look, it's okay. I'm not upset. Let's just talk about something other than the state of my love life."

"Fine," Delinda responded coolly while Sam just stuck out her tongue.

Mary quickly sat down again, placing herself between the two girls in hope of avoiding World War III.

"So, did you check out that new guy in security?" Sam finally asked her two best friends.

"You mean Mark?" Mary had seen him a couple of times when she'd dropped by Danny's office, but she hadn't had a chance to introduce herself yet.

"Oh yeah," Delinda replied. "He is smokin' hot."

---

"This is what it's all about, my man--good beer, good friends, and the ultimate in sports entertainment."

Danny and Mike were currently seated in the ESPN Zone watching no less than six different sporting events on the big screens across the far wall. Danny tipped his beer in acknowledgement of his buddy's statement before turning his attention back to the Spurs/Lakers game.

"So, what'd you have to do to get the little lady to let you off the leash?"

"Huh?"

"Come on, man. This is me you're talkin' too. You've been 'busy' every night for the last two weeks."

A sly smile crossed Danny's face as he thought about what he'd been doing all those nights. This would be his first night without Mary since they'd started seeing each other again and despite the fun he was having with Mike, he was not looking forward to going home to an empty bed. If he'd had it his way he would have spent every waking and non-waking moment with her, but Mary had decided that they needed an evening apart. She'd set up a party night with the girls and had encouraged him to do a little bit of male bonding with Mike.

When Danny did not respond, Mike nodded his head in acknowledgement, "Alright, it's cool--still keepin' it quiet. I get that. But again…"

"I promise, Mike," Danny assured him with a chuckle. "You're my first call."

---

"Open your door."

"Huh?" Mary tried to clear the haze of sleep and tequila from her mind as she listened to the voice on the phone.

"I'm outside. Come let me in."

Finally recognizing that it was Danny she pulled herself out of bed and stumbled to the front door. She glanced through the peephole just to make sure and then unlatched the chain.

"You're drunk," Danny stated as he took in her appearance.

"Just a little bit," Mary told him, trying to emphasize her point by creating a small space between her thumb and index finger—a task made extremely difficult by her inebriated state.

Danny couldn't help but grin as he moved past her into the apartment.

"So, I guess you and the girls had a good time."

"Very good. Lots of margaritas."

"Lots and lots of margaritas from the looks of it."

"What about you? Did you have fun with…with…," Mary trailed off as the name of their friend failed to materialize in her mind.

"Mike," Danny spoke slowly as if he was talking to a small child. "Yes, I had fun with Mike." He chuckled as Mary unsteadily made her way towards the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Seeing her struggling with the cap, Danny quickly removed the offending piece of plastic before handing the bottle back to her and watching as she downed the liquid in several long gulps.

Her thirst finally quenched, Mary leaned her head against Danny as he gently stroked her hair.

"I know we were supposed to spend tonight apart, but I decided I'm not okay with that plan."

"Yeah, that was a stupid plan," she mumbled into his shirt. "Who came up with that?"

"You did," Danny smiled.

"I did? Why on earth would I want to do something like that?"

"Something about getting tired of each other…I don't know. I wasn't really listening."

He didn't get the opportunity very often, but Danny loved teasing her when she was like this.

"Okay, good."

They stayed that way for a few moments, Mary wrapped in Danny's arms, her head securely against his chest while he rubbed soft, soothing circles on her back.

"Danny?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Can we go to sleep now?"

"Sure." The word had barely left his mouth when he felt her body go completely limp. Danny caught her around the waist before she could fall and lifted her into his arms.

After getting Mary settled, Danny showered and changed into his pajama bottoms—hidden in the top drawer of Mary's dresser—and joined her in bed. Danny had definitely had something else in mind when he'd decided to come over, but snuggled up behind Mary as she snored softly in her sleep, he knew he wouldn't trade this moment for anything in the world.


	10. Chapter 10

Danny jumped out of his car and tossed his keys to the valet. When he'd originally planned this getaway it was supposed to be a three day weekend in Lake Tahoe, but since both his and Mary's work schedules had been crazy the last couple of weeks it had unfortunately morphed into one night at Green Valley Ranch. Now, thanks to a couple of chip thieves, he was already two hours late.

As he hurried through the lobby he was caught off guard by someone calling his name.

"Danny!"

He turned to see Delinda and Sam seated at a small café table just off the lobby. _"Great,"_ he thought to himself. _"What the hell are they doing here?"_

He gave a nervous wave and headed towards his two friends, giving a nod of recognition to Delinda's bodyguard, Frank, seated at an adjacent table.

"So, what brings you two all the way out here?" Danny hoped he sounded casual since his heart was racing, both from the anticipation of being with Mary and from his fear that their little charade may be coming to an end.

"We followed Mary," Delinda told him excitedly.

"What? Mary's here?" He gave himself a mental pat on the back. He was actually getting pretty good at this whole thing.

"Yep. Yesterday she got an envelope with a room key in it so when she tried to sneak off today, we followed her."

"Why?"

"Duh, because we want to know who this new guy is. You have to admit. She seems pretty happy lately." Sam gave a nod of agreement at Delinda's comment.

Danny bowed his head so the girls couldn't see the small smile that spread across his face. He'd hoped that Mary was just as happy as he was and hearing the girls confirm it was a welcome relief.

"Well, I'm sure she has a pretty good reason for not saying anything." While he'd struggled a bit with Mary's reasoning at first, he could more than understand it now and he was seriously enjoying all their secret rendezvous.

"Well, I know why she'd want to keep it from you, Danny, but not us. We tell each other everything."

"Well, obviously not everything. Hey, wait a minute. Why do you think she'd want to keep it from me?" Danny asked, suddenly offended.

"HELLO, because you'd go all overprotective ex-boyfriend, big brother on her," Sam's raised voice caused a couple of the other café patrons to look their way, but they quickly went back to their lattes.

"I would not!"

"Whatever," Sam rolled her eyes as she scanned the lobby again for any sign of Mary's mystery man. "Hey, what are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, I…uh…I have a meeting with Steve about some…uh…counterfeit bills that have showed up here and at the Montecito," Danny stuttered a bit, but he didn't think Delinda or Sam noticed.

"Oooh, Steve Yerkes? I dated him once," Delinda said matter-of-factly.

"Is there anyone you haven't dated?" Sam said in annoyance as she signaled the waiter for another drink.

"At least I actually go on dates and don't just go for quickies with my best friend's ex-boyfriend," Delinda rattled off, half-whining and half-pouting.

Danny stared openmouthed at Delinda who was quite oblivious to the fact that she'd actually just described herself.

"O-kay, ladies. I've gotta run " Danny gave another nod to Frank as he backed away from the table. "Try to stay out of trouble."

Danny was still shaking his head as he made a beeline for the far bank of elevators. It wouldn't do any good for Delinda and Sam to see him heading up to the rooms. By the time the elevator chimed on the seventeenth floor Danny was actually quite amused. He couldn't believe that the girls had gone to all the trouble to follow Mary to discover her secret guy. He also thought it was hilarious that even though Danny had shown up at the same location they didn't even consider the notion that it might be him. He'd probably be pretty offended if he didn't find the whole situation so damn funny.

Once he reached Room 1712 he slid the card into the lock and slowly opened the door. It was dark except for the bluish glow of the TV in the other room. Danny dropped his suit coat on the chair and headed into the bedroom in search of Mary.

The down comforter from the bed had been laid out on the floor in front of the TV. He smiled when he noticed the half-eaten bowl of fresh cherries. He'd put in a special request with room service since Mary had a strong allergy to strawberries. Speaking of Mary, she was nowhere to be found, but the slim light peaking out from the bathroom door gave Danny a pretty good hint as to her whereabouts.

As he toed off his shoes and removed his tie he heard the water turn on and off before the door opened to reveal Mary clad in a fluffy white robe.

"Hey," she said surprised. "I thought you were going to call me when you were on your way up? I got a little bored," Mary indicated the television and the makeshift picnic, "but I wanted to straighten things up before you got here."

"Don't worry about it. I got a little distracted in the lobby," Danny leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips.

"Distracted, huh? Anything I should know about?"

"Yes, actually," Danny said, grinning as he thought about what had happened downstairs. "Delinda and Sam."

Mary's eyes grew wide. "What? So they know?"

"Nope. They followed you from the Montecito and were waiting to see who your mystery guy was."

"But, Danny. What did they say when they saw you?"

"I told them I was meeting with Steve about some counterfeit chips and they bought it. They really have no clue, Mary."

"We're going to have to tell them soon."

"Yeah, you're right, but not tonight," Danny had shed his shirt and was starting on his belt buckle when he heard Mary clear her throat.

"Um, Danny. Do you think I could get a little sweet talk before we just jump right to the main event?"

Danny looked up from where he'd been removing his trousers to see Mary standing with her arms crossed and one eyebrow arched high on her forehead. He'd been a little eager, but Danny had assumed Mary was just as anxious. He was horrified that she might actually think he only wanted her for sex.

"Um..yeah…it's just… I mean, we've been so busy and…it's been almost a week since…," he tried unsuccessfully to muddle through an explanation.

"Three days," Mary corrected him with a stern look.

"Yeah, and I just thought…I mean, but we can definitely…um… you know…," Danny gestured nervously between the two of them searching desperately for the right words to make up for his frat boy assumption, "uh…talk…or whatever you want."

"You are so gullible, McCoy," Mary giggled as she removed her robe to reveal an ice blue camisole with black lace trim.

Danny threw his head back and breathed a huge sigh of relief as Mary moved forward and wound her arms around his neck.

"I missed you," she whispered as she nibbled on the spot just above his collarbone that always seemed to make him moan.

Danny wrapped his arms around her and let his hands run over the smooth satin before lifting her easily and carrying her to the king-size bed. He set her down and let his fingers softly trace every line of her body before joining her on the bed. "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do, Danny."

"I need you so much, Mary."

Mary reached up and ran her hand softly down the side of Danny's face before leaning up to touch her lips to his. Wrapping one hand around his neck and the other around his waist she maneuvered him until he was over her, his body cradled between her thighs.

"I'm yours, Danny. I've always been yours and I always will be."

---

The chirp of his cell phone woke Danny from a sound slumber. Mary stirred in her sleep as he rolled out from under her and onto the floor, feeling around blindly for his pants.

"Danny McCoy," he croaked, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"Danny, I need you to meet me at the casino. The FBI are on their way. There's been some new developments with the Masquerade Group."

Danny tried to clear the fog from his sleep-deprived brain as he listened to his boss' words.

"Did you hear me!" Ed snapped on the other end of the receiver.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on my way," Danny said as he ended the call, taking a deep breath and running his hand over his face.

"What's wrong?" Mary asked groggily from the bed.

Forcing a deep sigh from his lungs, Danny stood up and sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Mary's forehead before replying. "I've got to go. There's something going on and Ed needs me back right away."

"Is it bad?"

"I don't know. I promise I'll tell you all about it when I have some more information." Danny kissed her again--more passionately than the first time--before he left the bed to shower.

After his shower, Danny tried to make his suit from the day before look presentable while Mary disappeared into the front room.

"I picked this up for you the other day. I was going to save it for Valentine's Day, but I think you could probably use it now." She handed him the gray bag marked Saks Fifth Avenue before climbing up on the bed.

Danny dug through the tissue paper to reveal a beautiful blue dress shirt and a coordinating tie. "I know you only brought casual clothes so this way you don't look like you're wearing the same thing you had on yesterday."

He stared at the garments for a moment before turning his gaze to Mary. She looked adorably unsure as she chewed her bottom lip, waiting for his approval. Danny couldn't resist leaning forward and softly coaxing her mouth open with his own lips. Their tongues lazily danced together for several long minutes before Danny finally pulled back, ending the encounter with a long, lingering kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you," he smiled. "I love it."

Mary was silent as she watched him slip into the shirt. There had been something strangely domestic and unbelievably sexy about buying such a practical gift like work clothes for Danny. From his reaction, she wondered if he'd felt the same way about receiving it.

Once he was dressed she moved from the bed to help him with his tie, making sure the knot was straight and secure before letting her hands linger on his lapels.

"I'm sorry I have to leave," he told her solemnly, noticing the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"It's okay. I'm just being overly emotional for some reason," Mary stared at the floor embarrassed as she swiped at the tears which were now falling down her cheeks.

"Hey, look at me." Danny tilted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. "Please don't cry. You're going to see me every day for the rest of your life. What's a little bit of time apart in the grand scheme of things, right?"

Mary laughed lightly through her tears and Danny moved a stray lock of hair away from her eyes before cradling her face and letting his forehead rest against hers.

"Go back to sleep, spend the day at the spa and I'll call you later, okay?"

"Yes, sir." Mary gave a playful salute before looping her arm through Danny's and walking him to the door. Once he was out of the suite and on his way she leaned her head against the cool wall and tried to get her emotions under control. She couldn't believe she'd broken down over the thought of Danny leaving for work. That really wasn't like her, but she supposed it was just a touch of that residual fear of losing him. She took a deep breath and decided to take a hot bath before crawling back into bed for a couple more hours.


	11. Chapter 11

"Thank you for meeting with us so quickly, Mr. Deline," the agent shook Ed's hand as he entered the office. "I'm Agent Davis and this is Agent O'Dell."

"Nice to meet you guys. This is my head of security Danny McCoy," Ed gestured to Danny who had risen from his seat and extended his hand to the agents.

"So, the message I got said you had some urgent information. I'm taking that to mean you've found something that indicates the Montecito might be a target." Ed led both men to one of the sofas before joining his young protégé who was seated across from them.

"Yes, sir, we have," Agent O'Dell reached into his briefcase and began pulling out various photos and documents.

"As you know, the Masquerade Group has hit three casinos in the last year. They seem to have some sort of inside information because they're able to track the movements of their targets. Even though we went to great lengths to conceal our involvement in Atlantic City we're pretty sure they knew from the moment Mr. Mason contacted us since we determined his niece had been dead for over a week when we found her. They're patient and meticulous and as far as we can tell they have every aspect of the job planned out to the smallest detail. Once the heist is complete they slip away without a trace."

"Do you know anything about them?"

"Well, both of the surviving victims described 3 or 4 men in mardi gras-type masks and all of them use some sort of distortion device to disguise their voices. The victims were kept at remote locations--and only after the money was delivered and the suspects were safely away from the scene--was the target given instructions on where to find their loved one. Until now they've always stayed one step ahead of us."

"Until now?" Danny questioned.

"Yes. We got a tip that led us to an apartment in Madrid. The men who had been staying there were gone, but we found information regarding the previous kidnappings and heists. We also found signs they'd tried to destroy some evidence. These burned scraps of paper were found in a pot in the sink. As you can see, this one clearly shows the logo of the Montecito," Agent Davis passed the photo to Ed. "There was only one other piece of paper that had any identifiable text."

"What did it say?" Danny questioned as he stared at the first photo.

"It's a series of numbers. We were hoping you might be able to tell us what they mean." As Danny took the photo he considered the numbers: 11 2 79. Turning them over in his head, but coming up with nothing he handed the photo to Ed as the FBI agent spoke again, "Maybe some sort of security code or an account number. Anything you can tell us would be helpful."

It took only a second for all the color to drain from the older man's face. "Omigod," he whispered under his breath.

"Ed, what is it," Danny asked worriedly. "Do you know what they mean?"

"Yeah, I know exactly what they mean. November 2, 1979—Delinda's birthday."

Ed immediately stood from the couch and picked up the phone on his desk. "Find Delinda and send her up to my office."

"Mr. Deline, we'll put your daughter in protective custody. She'll be transported to a safe house until such time…,"

"You're not taking my daughter anywhere. She stays here under my roof with my people. No offense, guys, but at this point I don't trust anyone I don't know."

"Mr. Deline, I strongly advise you…,"

"I strongly advise you to find these guys before they get anywhere near my casino or my family. You can bug my office, my phone, whatever you need to do that, but Delinda stays here. I've got cameras covering every square inch of this place and I guarantee you she'll be protected."

At those words the door to Ed's office swung open to reveal the subject of their conversation, "Rita said you wanted to see me, Daddy."

"Yeah, sweetie, can you give me a minute. I'll be right with you," Ed kissed Delinda on the cheek and escorted her to one of the couches they had all recently vacated. Handing the photos and papers back to Agent O'Dell, Ed led the way out of his office with the two agents following close behind and Danny bringing up the rear.

"Danny, I want you to set these guys up in a room. They can have access to everything they need, just make sure someone from our security team is with them."

"Let's try to keep whatever we do low profile," Agent Davis interrupted, "No need to advertise that we're here—the group would probably be less inclined to make a move."

"Understood. Gentlemen, please keep me informed," Ed shook both of their hands as they moved to exit the outer office.

"Danny," Ed pulled the younger man by the arm until they were out of ear shot of the agents. "I'm really going to need you on this. Promise me that you'll make Delinda's safety your number one priority."

"Ed," Danny started to say something, but the pleading look in his boss' eyes caught him off guard. He didn't think he'd ever seen the man so scared. Danny put his hand on Ed's shoulder before assuring him, "You have my word, Ed. I won't let anything happen to her."

The older man gave a curt nod before disappearing back into his office.

Danny walked briskly toward the stairs which led to the casino. He'd gotten the FBI agents settled and filled Mike in on the situation. He'd just spied Mary returning from her spa day at Green Valley Ranch and he was both anxious to see her and dreading it all at the same time. Hearing that your boyfriend is going to have to spend all of his free time with another woman was bound to be upsetting. Add in the fact that the other woman was his former girlfriend who had trouble keeping her hands to herself and Danny felt the stirrings of the headache he'd been fighting all day return.

Mary had been stopped by one of the desk managers and was signing some papers when he'd caught sight of her on the monitor, but by the time he descended the stairs she was engrossed in an entirely different conversation. He increased his pace until he reached her and the man who seemed to have captured her attention—both of them in a fit of laughter. The stress and exhaustion of the day finally caught up with him and all Danny could see was red.

"Uh, Mark, right?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. McCoy. Mark Benton." The young man reached out his hand in greeting, but Danny ignored it.

"Yeah, your shift over?"

"No, sir. I was just taking a break."

"Yeah, well. We don't take breaks around here. If you don't have anything to do then I'd be happy to find you something," Danny told him with a hard stare.

"Sorry, Mr. McCoy. I'll get back to the security room right away."

"Yeah, you do that."

Danny watched the young man scurry away before turning his attention back to Mary. Just by her stance Danny knew she was angry. She had her arms crossed and her mouth drawn into a thin line as she glared at him.

"What?" he questioned.

"I'm just wondering if you're going to try to mark your territory—because these shoes are new."

"Very funny," Danny rolled his eyes and swiped his hand across his face for what must have been the hundredth time today.

"Danny, that was extremely rude. He was just talking to me."

"Oh, come on," he protested louder than he intended. "He was hitting on you Mary," he said after lowering his voice. "I could see it from across the room."

"So?"

"SO!"

"Danny, lots of guys hit on me. It doesn't mean anything."

"Yeah, well. If you'd even acknowledge our relationship then maybe I wouldn't have to worry so much about it," he snapped and instantly regretted it when he saw the hurt look on Mary's face. He didn't know how to take it back so he simply turned away and tried to take some deep breaths.

"Wow, that was…," Mary sighed as she noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the tense position of his shoulders. She took a step forward and turned his head to look at her.

"Look, you're tired, you're cranky… I'm going to finish up these papers and head upstairs. When you're ready to tell me what's going on then maybe you can stop by."

She stood on her tip toes and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before turning back to the counter. It only took a second before she sensed Danny's presence beside her. He placed his palms flat on the cool marble and dropped his head. Stretching his fingers until his pinky was resting on top of Mary's he lightly caressed her skin with just the tip of his finger. It was the tiniest of touches, but Mary thought it was one of the most intimate moments they had ever shared. She signed the last form and placed her other hand on top of his.

"I'll be upstairs, baby," she said quietly, waiting for him to look at her. Once he glanced her way and nodded his understanding she ran her hand up his arm, across his shoulders and down his back before breaking the contact and walking away.

How was it possible that he deserved this woman? She had a capacity for forgiveness that was beyond words. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone—ordering dinner from Mary's favorite restaurant. It was a small gesture, but if he was going to beg her forgiveness for being such an ass and then drop the Delinda bombshell-- the least he could do was make sure he fed her first.


	12. Chapter 12

Mary had just finished washing her face when she heard a soft knock. When a check of the peephole revealed a very contrite looking Danny, she smiled and opened the door to let him in.

"You're in your pajamas already."

"It's my day off, Danny."

"Yeah, I know, I just…it's only 8:00."

Mary shrugged as she took the large white bag Danny had brought with him and began digging through it.

"Mmmm, Okada?"

"Yeah, I figured you hadn't eaten yet."

"But, Danny, you hate sushi."

"Yeah, I ordered a burger from across the street."

Mary smiled and shook her head as he held up a smaller brown bag, already stained with grease. She leaned up to give him a soft kiss on the lips while taking the bag from his hand and setting it on the counter next to her own. "Apology accepted," she whispered.

Peeking inside Danny's bag she couldn't help but make a disgusted face. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to eat a salad every once in awhile."

"It might…"

Mary swatted him before turning to grab two plates and a couple of bottles of water from the fridge. Danny helped her move all the food to the dining table and they each dug into their respective meals.

"So, you want to tell me what's going on that's got you so upset?"

Danny sighed as he stood up to help Mary clear the table. Once that was done he took her by the hand and led her to the sofa to fill her in on the latest developments with the Masquerade Group.

"Omigod. Ed must be out of his mind with worry."

"Yeah, I've never seen him like this."

"So what's the plan? I know Frank's been watching her when she leaves the hotel, but I would assume Ed would want someone with her 24/7."

"Yeah, he doesn't want her to leave the Montecito unless she absolutely has to. He's also decided he wants Frank to be more involved with trying to track these guys. Apparently, he's got connections the FBI could only dream about."

"So he asked you to stay with Delinda, right?"

"Yeah. Listen, Mary…," Danny tried to think of the right words to reassure her.

"Danny, it's okay. I'm not upset."

"You're not?"

"Ed asked you to do this because he trusts you, Danny. And I trust you too."

"It's not me you have to worry about," Danny said under his breath.

"Are you saying that it's possible you might succumb to Delinda's charms?" Mary had a teasing tone in her voice as she pushed his body so that he was lying on the couch.

"NO! Of course not. Never," Danny told her as he helped her straddle his hips.

"Well, then. I'm not worried." Mary removed his tie with one swift tug and started on the buttons of his shirt.

An adorable pout settled on Danny's face and Mary leaned down to nibble gently on his bottom lip. "But, we've only been back together for a month and now I won't get to see you as much."

Mary sat back up and Danny noticed the worried lines now creasing her forehead. "It won't be for long, right? I mean, with all of you working on it, you'll find these guys." Her mood seemed to have shifted with the thought of being away from him.

Danny sat up so he could look straight into her eyes, his hands cradling her face. "I promise it won't be for long. And I'll see you as much as I can, okay?"

"Okay," Mary whispered.

Danny leaned in to continue their kisses before Mary stopped him.

"Danny, wait. When do you get off?"

"In about 30 seconds if you keep doing that little thing with your hips," he said, trying to capture her lips again.

Mary couldn't help but giggle as she leaned back and rested her hands on his legs so her face was just out of his reach.

"I meant work, you perv. I don't want to get into something that we're not going to have time to finish."

Danny smiled before responding. "Actually my shift ended half an hour ago, but I have to be at Mystique when they close to pick up Delinda."

"Hmmm, that gives us a little over three hours," Mary considered this in her head as Danny's hands found their way to her pajama top and worked the buttons through the holes.

"…and you really need to get some sleep too, Danny."

"Sleep is overrated," Danny mumbled as he removed her top and moved his hands from her hips to her breasts, softly outlining them with his fingers.

"Says Mr. Crankypants," Mary chided with a smile, straightening her body again so he had better access. Once she was close enough, Danny lavished her neck with attention as his hands unconsciously squeezed the soft and supple flesh of her breasts.

"Ow," Mary gasped as her hands gripped his shoulders.

"What's wrong? Was I too rough?"

"No, it's just…they're really tender for some reason."

Suddenly concerned, Danny looked at her. "What does that mean?"

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Danny. It's probably just from lying on the massage table for so long today."

"You sure?" Danny lightly ran his hands up and down her sides, still fearful of hurting her.

"I'm positive, but maybe we should lay off the girls this time around."

"Awww, but I love the girls," he playfully whined, as he moved his hands back to her hips.

"And, believe me, the girls love you…," Mary trailed off as she felt her throat tighten with emotion. For some reason the thought of Danny not being able to touch her made Mary want to cry. "…just for tonight, okay, baby?" Danny noticed the crack in her voice and he suddenly turned serious.

"I was just teasing, sweetie. I would never do anything that might hurt you. You know that, right?"

"I know, I'm just..." Unable to put her feelings into words, Mary kissed him again until they both became lost in each other.

---

Danny straightened his tie as he stepped off the elevator on the main floor. He felt refreshed considering he'd actually been able to get a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep. Making his way towards Mystique, Danny mentally prepared himself for dealing with Delinda. She'd definitely been taking the whole 'kidnapping' thing in stride, even giving him a seductive wink in their earlier meeting when Ed mentioned Danny would be staying with her.

Once he arrived, it only took a moment for Delinda to make her way from the back with her purse. "Thanks, Miguel. See you tomorrow," she told the bartender before winding her arm around Danny's waist and leading him out of the restaurant.

"So, you get to take care of little old me while Daddy hunts for the bad guys?"

"This is serious, Delinda. It's not some sort of game."

"Oh, I know it's serious, Danny. But it doesn't mean we can't have a little fun." Danny suddenly felt Delinda's hand on his backside and he yelped as she gave him a hard pinch.

_"This is going to be a nightmare,"_ was the last thought that rang through Danny's mind before they exited the casino.


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey, did I wake you?" Mary's voice sounded like heaven as Danny held the cell phone close to his ear.

"No, we just got in. I think Delinda packed every piece of clothing she owned." Danny had driven them to her apartment earlier in the week to collect some things, but she had insisted on going back for more tonight. By the time they'd returned to their suite—a two bedroom despite Delinda's insistence they only needed one—it was almost 5AM.

He held the phone between his ear and shoulder while he removed his clothes. "Is everything okay? You're not just getting in too, are you? Mike told me he saw you head upstairs early last night."

"I'm actually just waking up. I've been so tired lately—my sleep schedule has been crazy. I actually had to come upstairs and take a nap yesterday afternoon—I was falling asleep at my desk."

"I hope you're not getting sick. Maybe you should call the doctor."

"I'm fine, Danny. I promise."

"Okay," he said reluctantly, but Mary had already changed the subject.

"Did you talk to Mike about tonight?"

"Yeah, he said he'd cover for me so I could get away for a couple of hours. Delinda's going to be busy with Beyoncé so it should be fine." Mary was leaving tomorrow for a week-long resort managers' conference in Miami and they were desperate to spend a little bit of time together before her trip.

"Good. I'm going to leave early so I can go to the grocery store. We're still going to meet at your place, right?"

"Definitely. I need to get the hell out of this place—even if it is for just a little while." Danny sighed heavily and Mary's heart went out to him.

"You must be exhausted, sweetie."

"I don't think I've slept more than a couple hours at a time all week. And we're still no closer to finding these guys."

"I'm so sorry. Is Delinda being really bad?"

"Not too bad," Danny replied as he checked the lock on the bedroom door, but Mary could hear the hesitation in his voice.

"Are you lying?"

"Yes."

"My poor baby," she cooed, but Danny could tell she was smiling.

"You're really enjoying the fact that she's making me so uncomfortable, aren't you?"

"Danny, I would never…," Mary said with mock-indignation, but she couldn't stop herself from laughing, "…well okay maybe a little. Look, sweetie, I know it's stressing you out so if you want to tell her about us it's okay. I mean, maybe it's time."

"I just don't know how you've stayed so calm about the whole thing. I mean, I trust you, but it would drive me crazy if some guy was all over you all the time. You saw how I was the other day and that poor kid was just talking to you." In truth, Delinda had been pretty good at taking no for an answer, but that didn't stop her from trying to change his mind—repeatedly.

"I guess it helps that she never does it in front of me. At least she has some sense of tact. But, Danny, it's Delinda. I love her to death, but you and I both know she marches to a whole different drummer," Mary stopped to consider things before continuing. "But now that you mention it, I'm really starting to get a little annoyed with her. Seriously, I had you first and it was okay when you dated her before, because she and I weren't friends, but for her to put the moves on you now is unacceptable. It just makes me want to… "

Danny stopped her tirade before she said something she'd feel bad about later. "Baby, as sexy as this whole possessive, girl fight thing is—you're starting to scare me a little bit."

Mary took a few deep breaths to try to calm herself before she apologized. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me lately. I just feel so out of sorts."

"Well, if you're sure you're not getting sick then it's probably just stress. You've had a lot going on—new job, big move…and this past week I've unfortunately been unable to help you alleviate any of it."

"Yeah, I guess," Mary chuckled before something suddenly occurred to her. Not wanting to voice her concerns to Danny just yet she quickly ended the call. "Listen, sweetie, I know you need to get some rest, but I just wanted to tell you that I love you and to please be careful."

"You know I will, Mare. I love you and I'll talk to you later."

Mary disconnected the call and quickly headed for the bathroom. Opening the medicine cabinet she quickly spotted the small plastic disc and checked its contents. When she'd missed the first time she hadn't thought anything of it. Her cycle was a mess, even when she was on the pill so it wasn't unusual, but if her calculations were correct she had missed two. Add that to the fact that she was moody, tired all the time and her boobs hurt… Mary sunk to the floor of the bathroom still clutching the pills in her hand. How could this have happened? And how could she not have realized it sooner? She'd gotten drunk, eaten sushi and still been taking her birth control pills. On top of being completely freaked out that she was probably pregnant she was terrified that she might have done something to hurt her baby. As she thought about all the horrific possibilities she was suddenly struck with another scary thought. How was she going to tell Danny? He'd been amazing and completely committed to their relationship, but throwing a baby into the mix this early might just be too much for him to handle.

She took a deep breath before getting to her feet and going back into the bedroom. As she searched her closet for something to wear she decided not to say anything to Danny until she knew for sure. He had enough to deal with right now without worrying about something that might not even happen. She'd buy a test tonight and if it was positive then she'd decide what to do next.

---

Danny felt the bed shift slightly and he moaned as he felt a soft hand dip below the waist band of his boxers. "Mmm, baby," he sighed, somewhere between waking and dreaming as he felt feather light kisses trail down the middle of his stomach. His hands moved of their own accord to bury themselves in the thick red hair he knew was splayed across his middle, but the minute he touched it he knew something was wrong. It was too thin and too straight and as he opened his eyes to look he realized that it was too blonde.

In an instant Danny was up and pushing the person away from him, sending Delinda unceremoniously to the floor as he rolled to the opposite side of the bed and to his feet.

"How the hell did you get in here?" he asked, trying to cover himself with the comforter from the bed.

"My dad was in the CIA, Danny. I know how to pick a lock." Delinda finally got to her feet and Danny noticed for the first time that she was completely nude.

"Delinda, you need to get out—NOW!"

"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Why are you being so grumpy? You were definitely enjoying things a minute ago," her gaze traveled to his lap and she licked her lips as Danny grabbed a pillow from the bed for extra coverage.

"I thought you were someone else."

"Oooh, role playing. I can do that. Who did you think I was?"

"Delinda, you've got to stop doing this."

"Seriously, Danny. Was it someone good?"

"Delinda, I'm seeing someone," Danny finally stopped her ramblings.

"What do you mean you're seeing someone? Who?"

"Mary."

"No, seriously. Who?"

Danny didn't reply. He just looked at her with a sincere expression until it finally dawned that he was telling the truth. Delinda felt her heart rate increase as she grabbed one of the other pillows off the bed to hold in front of her--suddenly very ashamed of her nudity.

"Since when?"

"A little over a month."

"But…but…in the closet… you said…," Delinda was still trying to grasp what Danny had just revealed.

"I didn't say anything, you just assumed."

"I don't understand," Delinda sank into the chair in the corner of the room, clutching the pillow to her chest. "Why didn't either of you tell anyone?"

Danny took a deep breath before trying to explain, "At first, because Mary wanted to keep it between the two of us without you and Sam meddling…"

"We do not meddle," she interrupted

"You followed her all the way to Green Valley Ranch, Delinda."

She realized Danny was right so her only response to that was an apologetic shrug. "What was the second reason?"

"Huh?"

"You said, 'at first'. What was the second reason?"

"Oh," Danny couldn't help the sly grin that spread across his face. "Because it was kinda fun sneaking around."

When he saw the crestfallen look on Delinda's face he moved around the room and sat down on the edge of the bed closest to her.

"Delinda, I know you wanted things to be different between us, but I just don't feel that way about you anymore. I care about you as a friend, but I love Mary—more than anything in this world."

"Duh," Delinda rolled her eyes and looked at Danny's confused face. "Danny, I told you before I wasn't interested in a relationship with you. It really was just about sex, but if I'd had any idea that you and Mary…," she trailed off for a moment, wringing her hands nervously before asking, "Does Mary hate me?" He'd never heard Delinda sound so small and despite his slightly bruised ego, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.

"Of course she doesn't hate you," Danny reassured her. With the exception of her father, he didn't think it was possible for Mary to hate anyone. There might be some awkwardness for awhile, but he was certain that Mary would not hold any of Delinda's actions against her.

"Are you going to tell her what happened tonight?"

"I have to."

Delinda visibly cringed at his words.

"I don't want to have any secrets from her, Delinda. She trusts me to tell her the truth and I'm not going to stop doing that just because the truth looks bad. And I really think that you should talk to her too."

Delinda nodded her head and swiped at the stray tear that had made its way down her cheek before standing and moving towards the door, pillow strategically in place. Before she left the room she gave Danny one last look.

"She's too good for you, you know? She's too good for all of us."

Danny smiled before responding, "Yeah… I know."


	14. Chapter 14

"Whatcha got, Frank." Ed and Danny were seated in the older man's office huddled around the speakerphone.

"Not much. These guys are good, Ed. They cover their tracks like pros. I do think they've got an inside man on all these jobs though. They know too much about the target's movements not to."

"Wouldn't the inside man disappear right after the robbery?" Danny asked, not understanding why this obvious clue had been missed.

"You would think," Frank replied, "but I couldn't find evidence of any employees leaving or disappearing. I checked security personnel at all three casinos and there's no common thread. The only thing interesting I did find was that within two weeks of each heist, a member of the security team committed suicide."

"That's pretty suspicious," Ed commented.

"Not on the surface. They were all loners--single, no family, and few friends… So far, I can't find any link between them. It might just be an odd coincidence, but I really think it's worth digging into."

"Agreed. Get on it, Frank, and let me know what you find." With his last words Ed disconnected the call and looked at Danny. "Any ideas?"

"Maybe they recruit these guys to help. They promise them a cut and then when it's all over they kill them—make it look like a suicide."

"Maybe," Ed thought about it for a moment, but he couldn't come up with any other explanation. "Start running background checks on all security personnel—let me know what you find."

Danny nodded and headed out of Ed's office and back to his own.

---

Mary struggled with the key to Danny's apartment as she balanced the two grocery bags on her hip. Finally, able to get the door open she pushed inside just as she felt her cell phone vibrate in her purse. She dropped the groceries on the couch and reached into her bag to retrieve it.

"Hello?"

"What's wrong? Why are you out of breath?"

"I just carried the groceries in, Danny, and I was rushing to answer the phone."

"Oh, so what did you get?" Danny sounded like an 8 year old on Christmas morning. He'd been salivating over the thought of a home cooked meal since they'd made these plans two days ago.

"You'll just have to wait and see," Mary teased him. "What time are you going to be home?"

"That's why I was calling. I'm going to be a little late. I need to get the guys started on a couple of things before I can get out of here. I should be there by 9 at the latest."

"Okay, sweetie. I need to get dinner going so I'll see you then."

"Okay. Love you, baby."

"See you soon…baby," Mary whispered, but Danny had already hung up. Her hand unconsciously drifted across her still flat stomach as she grabbed the groceries and put them away.

Unable to stand the waiting, she had gone to the drugstore on her lunch break. The test had confirmed her suspicions--she was definitely pregnant. After a good fifteen-minute cry in her bathroom, she'd called the doctor to make an appointment for next week. Now she just had to tell Danny. Mary had bought everything to make his favorite meal and had even stopped at Victoria's Secret to get something special to wear tonight. Her grand plan was to dazzle him with dinner and sex and then when he was completely satisfied and content—she'd drop the bomb. She'd rehearsed her speech a million times in the car, but she knew that the words would probably fail her when the time came.

She really didn't know why she was obsessing so much about actually telling him the news. Mary wasn't worried that Danny would be upset. She remembered one night, not too long ago, lying wrapped in his arms as they whispered their dreams of the future. Danny loved her and he wanted them to have a family someday—someday being the key word. Since fate had decided that their someday was now, she hoped he'd feel the same way she did—excited, but terrified.

A noise from outside startled her and she realized that in her haste she had neglected to shut the front door completely. She walked across the living room and pushed it closed-- reaching up to secure the chain in place. Suddenly, Mary felt a presence behind her and before she could react a rag was placed over her mouth and nose, effectively stifling any screams for help. Forced to breathe in the putrid scent, Mary's last thoughts were of her baby as her whole world went black.

---

"Honey, I'm home," Danny's voice bellowed through the apartment as he tossed his coat and tie across the back of the couch. Not getting a response he moved to the kitchen. "Mary?"

That was strange--nothing was cooking. He walked towards the bedroom and noticed a Victoria's Secret bag perched primly on his freshly made bed. Danny smiled curiously as he peeked inside and encountered something unexpected. He pulled the square plastic DVD case out of the bag and immediately noticed the bold, red letters spelling out "WATCH ME" across the front of the case. A little confused, Danny popped the disc into the player and sat down on the bed. The screen filled with images of a non-descript room and he watched the camera slowly pan across the beige carpeted floor –finally focusing on a beautifully tanned pair of legs--Mary's legs. Danny's interest was immediately peaked as he remembered they'd joked about this very thing a few weeks ago. The wife of one of Sam's whales had made a boudoir video for her husband. She claimed it had put the spark back in their thirty-year marriage and Danny had teasingly begged Mary to make one for him. He never thought in a million years she'd actually go through with it. The camera moved up her body and Danny noticed the soft green silk of her dress begin just below her hips. His hands itched to touch her as the rest of her body was slowly revealed to him.

In an instant Danny's desire was gone and replaced by absolute horror. As the camera moved to Mary's face he could see she was anything but a willing participant. Her mouth was covered with duct tape and her face was flushed with terror and sweat. A thin line of blood trickled from her hairline and across a dark bruise on her cheekbone. Her arms were raised above her head—obviously bound to some unseen object out of frame. Danny's fists clenched in rage and he stood from the bed, moving to kneel on the floor in front of the television.

"Now that we have your attention, Mr. McCoy," the distorted, disembodied voice on the video sent chills down his spine and he reached his fingers up to trace the lines of Mary's face on the screen. Her tears were flowing in earnest as the camera stayed focused on her face and Danny's heart was in his throat. "Let the game begin."

"If you ever wish to see Ms. Connell again, you will do exactly what we say. You will not contact any member of law enforcement. You will not inform ANY ONE that Ms. Connell has been taken. Your movements and actions are being monitored so this will be your only warning. If you deviate from our instructions in any way we will not hesitate to kill her."

Danny couldn't move—couldn't breathe as he watched Mary struggle to calm herself and blink back her tears. He knew what she was doing—she was trying to show him that she was okay. In the midst of this hell, she was trying to reassure him and it shattered his heart even more.

"Hang on, baby. Please hang on," Danny whispered as the voice began again.

"You will remain in your apartment until morning. Do not make any phone calls. Tomorrow you will go to work in the usual fashion. We will contact you with further instructions at that time."

"NO! TELL ME NOW. OH GOD, PLEASE! TELL ME HOW TO GET HER BACK!" Danny screamed in agony as the tape suddenly cut off and Mary's image disappeared from the screen.


	15. Chapter 15

**_I'm glad a few people are enjoying this. Please keep the reviews coming and I will be happy to continue posting.I've been so disappointed with the show lately that I've just been adding chapter after chapter to this story and it's up to 41 and still going.As a disclaimer, I just want to say that I have limited knowledge of computers and the military so if anything in my story is implausible then please forgive me and I hope those of you who know better will be able to enjoy it anyway. Emmy _**

Danny walked into the Montecito like a zombie, his cell phone clutched firmly in his hand. It had been almost twelve hours since he'd seen the video and he had yet to hear from the kidnappers. He knew he should have slept—he would need his strength for the days ahead--but he couldn't bring himself to rest. Thoughts of what might be happening to Mary had plagued him throughout the night and every time he closed his eyes all he could see was the look of terror on her face.

As his eyes scanned the crowd for any sign of something out of the ordinary his cell phone vibrated in his hand.

"Good morning, Mr. McCoy. Did you sleep well?" It was that same distorted voice and Danny knew that they must be watching him. The FBI had said as much in their briefing and it was too much of a coincidence that they'd called him the minute he'd walked in the casino.

"I want to talk to Mary."

"You are not in any position to be making demands, Mr. McCoy."

"Please. Please just let me hear her voice. I want to know she's okay," Danny couldn't disguise his desperation as he pleaded with the man. Silence followed and he was almost afraid that they'd disconnected the call, but then he heard the faintest of sounds.

"Danny?"

Danny's heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest as he stood in the middle of the lobby with his phone pressed as close to his ear as possible.

"Mary? Are you okay? I promise I'm going to get you back, baby. Just hang on okay."

"I'm okay, Danny," her voice was quivering as she spoke and Danny knew she was anything but. "I love you," she whispered before a quiet sob escaped her lips.

"I love you too."

"That's more than enough," the voice was back.

"You bastard. I swear, if you hurt her…"

"Listen to me very carefully. A package will be delivered to you today. Do not attempt to trace its origin. In this package you will find a thumb drive. You will upload the information on this drive to your office computer at precisely midnight tonight. Do you understand?"

"Midnight?" Danny questioned incredulously. "I want Mary back now."

"Patience is a virtue, Mr. McCoy. Now, do you understand your instructions?"

"Yes," Danny said through gritted teeth and the call was abruptly disconnected.

The urge to throw his phone across the room was so great that Danny could barely control it. He took several long breaths trying to calm himself, but it did very little good. Once he thought he could move without screaming in frustration he headed up to his office.

---

"Hey, man. How was the big night? You finally gonna tell me who's been warming your bed," Mike called out to Danny as he stalked across the room and up to his office.

"I think I deserve to know…I mean, you owe me big time," Mike stood up to follow Danny who had yet to even acknowledge him. "There's only so much Delinda one person should be forced to endure."

Danny took the steps to his office two at a time and slid the door closed rather forcefully, catching Mike just as he stepped inside. "Whoa! You trying to decapitate me or what?"

Finally noticing his friend's presence Danny looked up distractedly, "What?"

"Danny, haven't you heard a word I've said? What's going on with you, man? Did something happen?"

The kidnapper's words filtered through his mind. No one could know Mary had been taken. He quickly tried to cover, "I'm sorry. I'm just tired. You know how it goes…up all night…," Danny tried to give him a sly wink, but he was sure it looked as awkward as it felt.

"Well, okay…if you're sure," Mike was hesitant to let the subject go as he tried to gauge Danny's strange mood.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Listen, I've got a lot of things to do so…if you don't mind," Danny waved his hand in dismissal and Mike gave him one more questioning look before exiting the office. The second the door closed Danny frosted the glass and put his head in his hands. This can't be happening. Had they been after Mary all along? Everything they'd found had pointed to Delinda and Danny had been so distracted with protecting her he'd let the most important thing in his life…he couldn't even finish the thought. He had to focus. He wasn't going to do Mary any good like this. Danny cued up his computer and reviewed the security personnel reports Mike had finished up the night before.

It took him almost four hours to scour through every single detail of the lives of each member of his team, but he'd still come up with nothing. Maybe if he could figure out how they were able to watch him he could figure out how to bypass it so he could at least let Ed know what was going on. He picked up the phone and called Mike who was down on the floor.

"Hey, Mike. Remember last year when those college kids hacked into the surveillance system?"

"Yeah. It took us forever to get the muppets off that one monitor."

"Yeah, we just had to check for a signal broadcasting from the hotel, right?"

"Well, it was a little more complicated than that, Danny. You see…," Mike launched into a long diatribe of explanation and for once Danny took meticulous notes.

"Okay, thanks, Mike. Gotta go," Danny cut him off as soon as he had the information he needed. Before he could do anything else his cell phone vibrated on his desk.

"What are you doing, Mr. McCoy?" the voice that had come to be familiar spoke.

"I'm working—just like you told me to do."

"Working on finding us…this will be your last warning. And just in case you don't think we mean what we say…" Danny's heart stopped as he heard Mary's voice in the background cry out in agonizing pain. Her voice begged her tormentors to stop and Danny's pleas joined hers before the call went dead. Stunned into silence, Danny sat at his desk taking in ragged breaths. They were everywhere. There was no way he could get Mary back without doing exactly what they said.

The sudden need to be close to her overwhelmed him and Danny flew from his office and out of the security room. In a daze he made his way to the residences until he finally stood just outside her door. Using his passkey, he entered the apartment and was suddenly bombarded by her scent. He made his way to the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, burying his head deep in her pillow. He took it all in—the sweet smells of her shampoo, the lotion she put on at night and a hint of something suspiciously close to his own aftershave. Danny opened his eyes for a moment and noticed one of his dress shirts hung across the chair next to the bed. He smiled sadly as he realized she'd been sleeping in it. In that instant, all the strength he'd been holding onto left him and uncontrollable sobs overtook his body.

---

The ringing phone woke Danny from a restless, but exhausted sleep. Ignoring it, he stumbled from the bed and made his way to the bathroom, shocked at the face that greeted him in the mirror. Despite his jaunt into unconsciousness this afternoon, he looked like he'd aged ten years since yesterday. His face was marred by red blotches and stubble and his eyes were swollen from crying. If he was going to do this on his own then he'd have to take back some semblance of control. He couldn't let anyone suspect that something was amiss.

Danny splashed cold water on his face as the answering machine finally picked up the call that had woken him. He was barely listening as a young girl's voice filtered through the apartment.

"Miss Connell, this is Sherry with Dr. Overton's office. Dr. Overton wanted to know if we could reschedule your appointment to Wednesday instead of Monday. Give us a call at the office and let me know if that will work for you."

After hearing the message, Danny prayed that Mary hadn't come down with something that would make this ordeal even more miserable. Drying his face, he sighed and took one last look in the mirror to make sure he was presentable, but his eye was drawn to something sitting on the back of the sink. The long white stick encased in plastic looked out of place and for a moment Danny thought it was some sort of digital thermometer. Curious, he picked it up and held it so he could read the display. All the blood drained from Danny's face as the sterile digital letters stared back—suffocating him with an entirely new terror. **PREGNANT**


	16. Chapter 16

"Dude, where the hell have you been? I thought Ed was going to bust a blood vessel when you weren't down there to meet Delinda."

"Delinda… I still have to stay with Delinda," Danny mumbled to himself as he walked down the hallway leading back to the security offices.

"Okay, Danny, you're really starting to freak me out. What the hell is going on and why did Mitch see you coming out of Mary's apartment? I thought she was in Miami."

"What?" Danny's mind was in a million places right now. Mary was pregnant. Just from the agonizing phone call earlier he could only imagine the horrors she was having to endure. There was no question in his mind that he would do whatever it took to get Mary back alive, but would it be too little, too late to save their baby? Their baby…the words seemed so natural in his head and he realized that any doubts that may have surfaced under normal circumstances were completely erased. It seemed crazy since he'd only known about this baby for twenty minutes, but he already couldn't imagine their lives without it.

Shaking himself out of his trance Danny tried to think of an excuse to get Mike off his back. "Yeah, she is…I just…I'm not feeling well. I think I might be coming down with something so I crashed on Mary's couch for awhile. I'm sorry you had to cover for me."

"It's okay, man, but does Mary know you're breaking into her apartment when she's not around? Unless…it's Mary, isn't it?"

"What?" Danny looked nervously around the hallway. If Mike found out Mary had been taken they might hurt her.

"You and Mary are back together, right? She's the one you've been sneaking around with for the last month."

"Yeah," Danny shook the cloud from his brain, relieved that his friend was on a completely different track. "Listen, Mike, I've got to get to Mystique." Danny did an about face and headed back out onto the casino floor.

"That's it? Danny, this is some major news…come on, man—give a brother some details."

He knew it wasn't Mike's fault—he had no idea what was going on--but his blasé attitude pushed Danny over the edge. "I don't have time to sit around and gossip with you! Just stop messing around and get back to work, okay!"

Mike stood there gaping at Danny's retreating form. Even on the worst day of Danny's life, he had never spoken to him like that. Something was definitely up and Mike decided to take his concerns straight to the top. He picked up his phone and hit the speed dial.

"Hey, boss. I think we might have a problem."

---

The small airstrip was deserted, but it would do for their purposes. As the pick-up truck slid to a halt in front of the metal hangar, the passenger hopped out and disappeared inside the building. The large doors were pushed back and the driver pulled the truck inside. Once the vehicle was safely out of sight, one of the men jumped onto the tailgate and opened the door of the tool box across the bed of the truck.

The squeak of the rusted metal hinges startled Mary and she realized they had reached their destination. She had been in this small space for what seemed like days. Her hands were bound loosely to accommodate the rapid swelling of her broken left arm while her ankles were more securely tied. The duct tape which had been on her mouth since she'd first woken up to this nightmare was still in place and a blindfold kept her in terrifying darkness. For the millionth time she wondered what they had in store for her. She knew from what Danny had told her that this group had let two of their hostages go, but it was the thought of what had happened to the third victim that remained fresh in her mind.

Mary wanted so much to be strong for Danny and their baby, but it was getting harder with each passing moment. They'd twisted her arm until the bones snapped and she hated that she'd been unable to control her screams. Mary knew she had passed out more than once from the pain since then and she couldn't be sure how much time had gone by. The one thing she did know was that the heat had been almost unbearable in that tiny enclosure. Even in February the desert sun could be brutal and Mary could sense she was on the verge of dehydration. She once again debated whether or not to tell her abductors she was pregnant. If they knew, they might be more careful—more sensitive to her condition, but she had a feeling that they'd only use it to their advantage—giving them one more thing to hold over Danny and most likely endangering her baby even more. For now, she would keep the secret to herself and pray to God that they didn't do anything that would harm her unborn child.

Suddenly, Mary flinched as she felt hands on her body. She drew her knees up to her chest in an effort to protect her stomach from any possible blows, but none came.

"Settle down," one of the men told her. "We're going to move you out of here and the more you struggle the more you're going to get hurt." The man pressed a finger to the sensitive spot on her cheek; reminding Mary of what had happened the last time she had tried to fight them.

She relaxed her muscles only a fraction as she felt herself being lifted by one man and then handed off to another. They carried her a short distance, then down a flight of stairs and through several doors before she was set on her feet. Mary struggled for balance before a hand grasped her shoulder firmly—helping her stay upright. The bindings on her feet were the first to go and then with surprising gentleness a pair of hands removed the ties on her hands.

"We're miles away from anyone who could hear you so don't try to scream." Mary let out a small cry as the tape was ripped from her skin. She cradled her injured arm against her chest as the blindfold was finally removed. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light, but when it did Mary found herself wishing again for the darkness. Four men stood in front of her—their faces concealed by grotesque masks.

The man closest to Mary turned her towards a small opening in the floor. "Watch your step," one of the other men said with an evil laugh.

"Please, please don't…I need water and a doctor. Please don't put me in there," Mary pleaded with her captors.

One of the men stepped forward and pulled Mary's injured arm away from her body. "Get the morphine."

"NO!" Mary called out. She'd endure the pain—she had to for the sake of her baby. "I'm…allergic. I can't have any pain killers. Please, just let me go." Mary couldn't stop the soft sobs that escaped her.

"Everything you need is down there and if your loverboy does exactly like he's told then you'll see a doctor soon enough. Your arm will be fine until then."

The man pushed Mary towards the opening again and she awkwardly fell to her knees in order to climb down into the hole. It was difficult using only one hand, but she managed to lower herself into the three foot space below the floor before the metal hatch was slammed closed—leaving her in the pitch black once again.

Mary crawled around the space—cautiously feeling the walls to familiarize herself with the surroundings. She found a string along the far wall and pulled it until the room was lit with harsh light from a lone bulb. The space was about 10 feet by 6 feet with concrete on all sides. There was a small pallet in one corner of the room, a case of bottled water and a paper bag full of beef jerky and granola bars. In the other corner was a bucket and Mary cringed as she realized this was for her to relieve herself.

She was exhausted—both physically and emotionally—and she wanted nothing more than to collapse into oblivion, but she needed water and the baby needed food. She managed to get one of the bottles open and drank the liquid steadily down. She tore open one of the granola bars and took a couple of bites before she felt bile rise in her throat. Breathing deeply through her nose—she managed to keep it down and prayed that it would be enough to sustain the tiny life inside of her. As she lay down on the pallet and closed her eyes, tears spilling through the lids, she tried to imagine Danny's arms around her—keeping her and the baby safe.


	17. Chapter 17

Danny sat alone in the living room of the suite he shared with Delinda. She'd long since gone to bed—on her best behavior since learning of his reconciliation with Mary—but a small part of him yearned for the company of her mindless chatter. He needed something, anything to keep his mind from drifting to the terrible things that could be happening to Mary. He'd done what they asked. Whatever information was contained on the drive had been uploaded and he was pretty sure he'd just given them complete access to the Montecito's security system. He stared at his cell phone willing it to ring, but the call never came.

Danny woke with a start when he heard the shower in Delinda's room turn on and he reached for his phone to see if he'd missed any calls. "Damnit," he cursed to himself. "Why the hell haven't they called?" He felt an insistent buzzing in his ears and his breathing became labored—almost as if someone was sitting on his chest. It wasn't so much a pain as it was a pressure and it took several long moments for Danny to get it under control.

Once he felt able to move he walked to the bedroom and changed his clothes; hoping this was the last day he'd have to spend without his beloved Mary.

---

With Delinda safely delivered to Mystique, Danny made his way across the casino floor. It only took a second for his phone to vibrate in his coat pocket. Recognizing the odd series of numbers, he spoke immediately, "I did what you wanted, now tell me where she is."

"It's not over yet, Mr. McCoy. We have more for you to do."

"WHY! You have the access and I know you have someone on the inside so just take what you want and let her go!"

"That wouldn't be any fun. Tell me—how does it feel?"

"What are you talking about?" Danny turned a full circle as he scanned the multitude of security cameras in the ceiling. He knew they were watching him and he felt his sanity slowly slipping away.

"How does it feel to be weak? To be helpless?"

"You're out of your mind! This is all some kind of sick game to you! I swear to God if you hurt her—if you touch one hair on her head—I will hunt you down…." But Danny didn't get a chance to finish. "HELLO! HELLO!"

---

"I called the airline and the hotel in Miami, Mr. D. Mary never got on the flight or checked into the hotel. I've left messages on her cell, but I haven't heard back."

Mike and Ed walked leisurely through the employee parking lot of the Montecito. To any casual observer they looked like a couple of guys discussing their day, but the two of them had much bigger problems to worry about and they both knew that discussing them anywhere near the casino was not an option.

"Did you ask her assistant?"

"Yeah, she said she got a note from Mary saying that she had a family emergency and was going to have to take some time off to deal with it."

"She may have a heart of gold, but Mary doesn't have any family that she would drop everything to help. I'm pretty sure Danny's all she's got."

"And vice versa," Mike agreed.

"You've been monitoring Danny's movements?"

"I set up secure remote access to the system from my apartment so we can monitor everything without them knowing. Last night Danny launched an encryption program that was designed to scramble all our security data. I've got it quarantined on a mirror server right now so hopefully they don't realize that it's not working yet, but I gotta tell you, boss…this program is like nothing I've ever seen before. It's going to take me awhile to pull it apart and figure out exactly what these guys are trying to do."

"Damn," Ed said in frustration. "We've got to find a way to talk to Danny."

Mike shook his head as they headed out the back gate of the lot and down the narrow alley which led to the Strip. "Don't you think that if he could tell us anything he would have? If we start snooping and messing around it could put Mary in a lot more danger." He'd seen the FBI reports--knew what these guys were capable of--and for Danny to even be considering what Mike had seen him do yesterday, he knew that his friend had to be scared out of his mind.

"Don't you think I know that, Mike," Ed snapped. "Did you find any bugs?"

"Plenty. I found listening devices in your office, Danny's office, the security room, Mary's apartment and the suite Delinda and Danny have been staying in. I didn't check Danny's place, but I'm sure they're there. There's also a device embedded in Danny's cell phone. It can monitor his calls, but it can also pick up sound within a two-foot radius of his person. I'm guessing that's how they've been contacting him so he's sure to have it as close to him as possible."

"You didn't touch any of them, right? Like you said, the last thing we need is for these guys to know we're on to them."

"No sir. They're all still in place."

"Good. I think I've got a way to talk to Danny. Be in the security room around 1:00, okay? I'm in the mood for a burger."

"You got it, boss."

---

The powdered sand tickled Mary's toes as she walked along the beach. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin and it combined with the warmth of the hand she held tightly in hers—enveloping her with a sense of peace. There was no need to look at the person walking next to her—she knew it was Danny. Like always, she could sense his presence in her space, in her life and in her heart. She smiled, watching the gulls dive for food along the windswept dunes, but their cries soon changed to those of a child and the hand that had once held hers so securely began to squeeze like a vice. The pain became too much to bear and Mary turned her head to look at her companion. Where she expected to see Danny all she saw was a grotesque monster, clawing its way up her arm.

Mary screamed in terror; screams that mixed with the wails of the child. She fought away the monster at her side only to be engulfed by another at her back. It wrapped her tightly in a macabre embrace as she watched yet another creature moving away from them— towards the ocean waves. Just before it reached the crest of the surf, it turned back and Mary saw that it was not alone—in its horribly mangled hands it cradled a tiny baby—her baby. Mary cried out in desperation as the monster turned away again—wading out into the sea. She struggled violently in the arms of her captor, but to no avail. She could only scream and watch in horror as her child disappeared with the monster beneath the murky depths.

"Hey, you need to wake up." The voice was loud and insistent, finally breaking through the depths of her dream. Still lost somewhere in the haze, Mary swatted at the hands that grasped her upper arms until they finally released their hold.

"Fine, have it your way, but stop screaming so damn much. You already look like you're sick and freaking out down here is just going to make it worse."

She was able to clear the fog of her brain just enough to see a pair of legs dangle and then disappear back through the opening before the heavy metal door was once again slammed shut. Her shivering was now uncontrollable in the damp hole and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself trying to get the horrible nightmare out of her mind. Her head felt heavy and her muscles ached as she shakily reached for a bottle of water. How long had she been down here? She was sure it hadn't been that long, but for some reason she had no concept of time anymore. Once she had finished her water and forced herself to eat a bite of something, Mary stretched out on the pallet again—pulling the sparse blanket around her in a feeble attempt to ward off her chills. After a few quiet sobs, she fell once again into a fitful slumber, her unconscious thoughts settling at last on the only person who could save them-- Danny.


	18. Chapter 18

"Damn these things," Ed muttered as he stepped into the security room, pen in one hand, folded newspaper in the other. He climbed the steps to his old office—Danny's office—and immediately noticed the haggard look of his young protégé.

"You look like crap, kid."

Danny had been so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed Ed. "Uh…hey, Ed…um, yeah…I've just been busy and… I haven't been sleeping very well."

"And when the hell was the last time you ate?"

Danny couldn't remember—yesterday maybe.

"Get your coat, kid. I've been dying for a big, juicy burger. I'm tired of all this healthy, fancy crap that Jillian makes me eat. Let's go."

"Ed, I…uh…there's a lot going on here. And someone needs to keep an eye on Delinda. I really shouldn't leave the casino," Danny made a show of shuffling papers around on his desk—desperately looking for something specific he could cite as a reason not to leave.

"Don't be an idiot—Frank's with Delinda. We'll be back in an hour." It was at this point Danny realized that arguing with his boss would probably attract more attention than just going and getting it over with. He picked his phone up off the desk and put it in his coat pocket; only half listening as Ed invited Mike to join them.

---

Hank's was a dive about five miles outside of town. It was smoky, and dark and loud as hell. Televisions hung precariously from wall brackets, blaring different sporting events to every corner of the bar.

"Thank you, darlin'," Ed told their waitress as she delivered three baskets, overflowing with burgers and fries--grease all but dripping from the red and white checked paper.

"Damn this thing."

"What are you working on, boss," Mike asked the older man.

"These damn crossword puzzles. Jillian says they're supposed to sharpen my mind—help my memory. It's all a load of bull, if you ask me."

"I read an article about that in Scientific American. It really is supposed to help older people retain their mental abilities."

"Are you calling me old, Cannon?"

"What?" Mike stuttered, "No…I just…I mean. Hey, does anyone need more ketchup?" Mike jumped from the table and headed to find their waitress.

"See, this right here," Ed said, mostly to himself. "A four letter word for 'the object of your affection'. I have no freakin' idea."

Danny was playing with his fries, mostly ignoring the conversation, when Ed slid the newspaper in front of him. "Take a look at this and tell me if you can figure it out."

"What?" Danny suddenly looked up. "Ed, I'm not good at those things."

"That makes two of us. Look, it needs to come off this word right here," Ed said, indicating the blank with his pen.

Danny finally glanced down at the crossword puzzle and noticed immediately what Ed was trying to show him. Written down the side of the page the word M-A-S-Q-U-E-R-A-D-E stood out in bold, blue letters and off the "M" three dash marks had been laid out——obviously written by Ed-- waiting to be filled in.

Danny's stomach jumped to his throat as he stared at the words. As his eyes met Ed's and his mouth automatically opened to speak the older man shook his head from side to side and tapped lightly on Danny's cell phone sitting on the table. After several long moments Danny glanced nervously around the restaurant—searching for any sign that they were being watched. When he was sure they weren't he cautiously took the pen from Ed and shakily filled in the letters A-R-Y in the blanks.

"Finally! I thought I'd never figure this thing out. Any others you want to take a crack at. I can tell Jillian I figured it out all on my own and then maybe she'll get off my back." All the worry and fear of the past few days poured out through his fingers and Danny frantically began writing.

He wrote everything he could remember about the last three days, making sure to emphasize to Ed that they were watching and listening to his every move. Once he'd given the older man every bit of information he could think of he hesitated only a moment before writing one more word at the bottom of the paper and underlining it for emphasis—pregnant.

Ed's gaze moved sharply to Danny as he read the last word and the security chief simply nodded—his downcast expression telling the older man everything he needed to know.

"I got the ketchup." It was at that point Mike returned to the table and Ed gave Danny's hand a reassuring pat.

"It's about damn time. My fries are almost cold."

"So, what'd I miss?"

"Just this stupid puzzle. You take a crack at it," Ed tossed the paper to Mike so he could read everything Danny had just written. Mike, too, was stunned when he reached the last word on the page. He looked up at Danny with a mix of wonder and pity in his eyes. Danny couldn't take it. On the one hand he was relieved they both knew what was going on and that they were mindful of the severity of the situation, but on the other hand his terror had increased tenfold with the thought that the kidnappers would somehow discover his newfound allies.

"I've got to…," Danny nodded his head towards the men's room and left Mike and Ed alone, grabbing his phone just in case.

Once he was out of sight, Mike turned to his boss. "Omigod, Mr. D. What the hell are we going to do?"

"We're going to get her back. I'm going to make arrangements to get $5,000,000 in cash. When this does go down I don't want Danny taking the money from the casino. He's going to need to concentrate all his energy on Mary when this is over and it won't do him any good to be worrying about the cops."

"That's a lot of money. What if these guys get away?"

"There's no price I wouldn't pay for any of you."

Mike stopped shredding the newspaper and looked up--humbled by the older man's admission.

"Besides, I have no intention of letting these guys get away. We've got to get one step ahead of them, Mike. Obviously, Danny can't do any research on this thing, but I want you to start checking into the personnel files again. Do it from home. See if there are any similarities between the guys who committed suicide at the other casinos and anyone on our staff."

"You got it."

---

Mary could hear voices, but they sounded like they were a million miles away. She opened her eyes and immediately noticed that the hatch to her cell was open. She wanted to move—to try to escape—but her body wouldn't let her. With every ounce of strength she had, Mary scooted herself towards the opening and tried to concentrate on what the men were saying.

"I'm telling you—she's burning up with fever. If we don't get her to a doctor soon…"

"What difference does it make," a second voice interrupted. "What are the odds McCoy's not going to get stupid and mess this whole thing up?"

"He's been following orders—doing everything we tell him. The least we could do is make sure she's still alive when this whole thing is over."

"Listen to you. You sound like you've gone soft."

"I haven't gone soft. I'm just thinking about the future. If McCoy does everything just like he's supposed to and she ends up dead anyway our credibility is out the window. Any future jobs are in jeopardy because the targets will think that we don't hold up our end of the bargain."

Mary was drifting in and out, but she tried to hold onto the sound of the voices. There was something so familiar about one of them, but she just couldn't get her mind to focus enough to figure out what it was.

"Fine, we'll speed up the timetable. Get everything ready to go—we move out in the morning."


	19. Chapter 19

Mike rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands. He'd been at this all night—looking at every piece of information he could find on the three dead men. On the surface, there didn't seem to be anything tying their deaths together, but the men themselves did share quite a few similarities. They were all former military men—one a Green Beret, one a Marine and another in the Royal Air Force—and none of them had any family. They'd all worked in their jobs for less than three months, but their security background and resumes were outstanding.

Despite their similarities in life, their suicides had been very different. Trevor Reese had emailed his suicide note to a coworker and then driven his car off a cliff. His body had been burned beyond recognition, but DNA evidence had confirmed his identity. Paul Boone had decided to go out with a bang. A munitions expert during his time in the Marines—he'd crafted an explosive device, walked out into the woods and blown himself up. The message he'd left in his car, scrawled on a plain sheet of paper, had outlined his woes and his intentions. The last man, Roger Sampson, had put a gun to his head. Since all of the men had left suicide notes, and there were no family or friends to protest, there had been little investigation and only cursory autopsies performed. On a hunch, Mike decided to contact the medical examiner in Atlantic City. After almost half an hour of receiving the runaround, he finally got the guy on the phone.

"Roger Sampson? Yeah, I remember that one. About four months ago, right? Everything should be in the report."

"Yeah. Was there anything unusual about it that maybe didn't make it into the report?"

The man hesitated a moment before continuing, "Look, the guy left a note. It was a pretty open and shut case."

"What aren't you telling me?"

Mike's question was greeted by a deep sigh and finally the man spoke again, "He had what looked like defensive wounds on his arms, but it wasn't enough to overrule the suicide determination."

Mike was silent and the man on the other end of the line obviously took offense. "Do you know how many dead bodies I see in a week? Just because this guy had a few scratches on his arms doesn't have to mean anything. He left a note—case closed," and with that he hung up.

Mike looked at all the information again. After speaking with the coroner Mike was even more convinced that these men didn't die at their own hands. What he still couldn't understand was why these decorated veterans would choose to join forces with an international crime ring. He'd have to run all this by Ed and see if the former CIA operative had any theories. Speaking of Ed—it was at that moment Mike's cell phone chimed a familiar tune.

"Good morning, Mr. D."

"What do you got for me, Mike?"

"The coroner in Atlantic City said the guy there had defensive wounds, but he disregarded them because of the suicide note."

"Damn."

"I'm convinced these guys were the inside men, but I just can't figure out why. None of them had any family to threaten. I can't figure out how the group might convince these seemingly upstanding patriots to switch to a life of crime."

"All these guys were in the military, right?"

"Yeah."

"Why did they leave?"

"Uh…," Mike scanned through the files again trying to find an answer to Ed's question. "The records I have don't really say…just that they were discharged."

"Get with Frank and see if you can access their service records."

"You thinkin' these guys didn't leave on their own?"

"You give your whole life to a cause and then one little thing happens and they toss you out on your ass. The military's the only thing you've ever known and when you get out you have skills, but no idea how to utilize them in the civilian world. Somebody comes along and offers what you think is a great opportunity and by the time you figure out what's going on it's too late."

Mike picked up on the faraway tone in Ed's voice and he couldn't help but comment. "Sounds like you're speaking from experience, boss."

"Yeah, well…," Ed trailed off and for a moment Mike thought the older man was actually going to open up. "Mind your own business, Cannon."

He was wrong.

"And get to work—I'm not paying you to sit around in your pajamas all day."

Yep, definitely wrong about that one.

---

Two hours later, Ed walked briskly through the bowels of the casino, nodding politely to everyone he passed before entering the security room. He noticed Mike and Danny in the office above and hurried up the steps to join them. They'd scheduled a secure conference call with Frank later that day to compare notes, but Ed had one other matter of business he needed to take care of first.

"Hey, Mike, do me a favor, would ya? Put this in the vault for Mr. Burns?" Ed handed Mike a large metal briefcase. "He's a little nervous about keeping all that money in his suite." Ed looked pointedly at Danny, hoping to make the younger man understand exactly what the money was for. Danny's nervous glance at the case and then slight nod to his boss indicated that he understood.

"Sure thing, Mr. D." Mike headed out of Danny's office, leaving the other two men alone.

"Listen, Ed. Do you think it would be alright if Mike stayed with Delinda tonight?"

"Why? You got something going on?" This talking in code was getting old, but with the whole place bugged, it was the only way they could communicate.

"Just a couple of old friends in town for the night." That was the signal. The kidnappers must have contacted Danny and told him when everything was going to happen.

"You boys headed out for a night of drunken debauchery?" The older man tried to sound casual in order to keep up the charade.

"Something like that…," Danny trailed off. Ed knew he was sick with worry, but if he could just keep it together for one more day—hopefully it would be the last day the kid would have to spend without Mary.

"I'll set everything up with, Mike. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?"

---

Danny sat at his desk mindlessly scanning the monitors. The International Shoe Convention the Montecito was hosting had just let out for lunch so it was solid people from one end of the casino to the other.

He'd been in his office before dawn when the call had come in. They had told him to expect another call at midnight and that he should be ready to move. Thankfully he had been able to convey that message to Ed so that he and Mike could be there to back him up. Ed…Danny still couldn't believe the man had been able to secure $5,000,000 in cash in less than a day, but Ed's resources never ceased to amaze him. At any other time in his life he probably would have refused such an offer, but at this point Danny would sell his soul to the devil if it meant bringing Mary home safe.

"Mr. McCoy? This was just delivered for you." His thoughts were interrupted by the young man standing at the door to his office.

Danny took the large package and set it on the desk--opening it to reveal a black duffel bag with a small white envelope peeking above the rim of the outside pocket. His hands trembled as he pulled the card out and read the carefully scripted words.  
_  
WE WILL TAKE CARE OF THE CAMERAS – YOU TAKE CARE OF THE MONEY  
DO NOT MAKE ANY CALLS – DO NOT SPEAK TO ANYONE  
USE THIS BAG -- $5 MILLION -- PAYPHONE AT SLIM'S ON 93 SOUTH  
20 MINUTES OR SHE DIES_

They were early. Any help he might have received was out of the question now and he'd have to do this all on his own. Danny grabbed the bag and sprinted down the stairs, not stopping until he reached the vault. He noticed immediately that the red lights on the cameras lining the hallway were off indicating that they had been deactivated. He wasn't sure how much time he had to spare so he placed his hand on the keypad and let the device scan his prints. The door clicked open and Danny moved inside. Unlatching the briefcase Mike had placed there earlier, Danny didn't hesitate as he dumped the bundled bills into the duffel and re-secured the vault door.

Luckily, no one stopped him as he pushed his way through the crowds and out the lobby doors. "I NEED MY CAR," he screamed to the valet on duty, but his face fell as he looked at the sea of cars lining the drive. He could almost hear the ticking of the seconds in his mind. There was no time. It only took him a moment to notice the familiar dark blue Aston Martin parked towards the front of the drive and Danny hurled himself towards it, all but tackling the poor kid who had just pulled it around. He had no idea how far it was to the meeting point, but he wasn't taking any chances. Danny grabbed the keys and jumped in—tossing the money in the back seat.

Tires squealed as he sped out onto the Strip, ignoring the sounds of horns and crumpling metal he was leaving in his wake. _"Hang on, baby. It's almost over."_


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you for the reviews. They are very encouraging andalways appreciated. **

"How long ago did he leave?"

"About twenty minutes. I activated the Lojack in your car so we can track him. He's headed south towards Laughlin." Mike clutched the laptop close to his chest as he and Ed burst through the metal door that led to the Montecito's heliport. A small group of people waited excitedly to board the chopper for their tour of the Grand Canyon.

"I'm sorry folks," Ed told them cordially, disguising his distress. "We're going to have to postpone your tour." A round of jeers and complaints rose up from the crowd and Ed quickly silenced them.

"I promise we'll set up another tour for you soon and your entire stay at the Montecito is on the house."

"What the hell is going on?" The pilot had now joined the group and was eager to express his obvious disapproval at losing an afternoon of business. While Mike ushered the others inside, Ed tried to sweeten the deal.

"Look, I'll pay you twice what you were going to make off this tour if you'll fly me and my friend where we need to go."

"I'm not doing anything illegal," the man insisted, but his interest was peaked.

"Nothing illegal, you just take us where we want to go—right now."

"I gotta get reimbursed for my fuel, too."

Ed was getting annoyed with this guy, but he was desperate. "Fine. Now let's go." Ed hopped in the front while Mike took one of the rear seats. They each put on their headphones and Mike popped open his laptop to see that Danny was still heading south towards Laughlin. He relayed the directions to the pilot and they were soon in the air.

---

Danny had reached the abandoned gas station just as the payphone was ringing and the same distorted voice had given him directions to an abandoned airstrip ten miles east of Searchlight. He glanced at his cell phone sitting on the passenger seat and briefly considered trying to call Ed. That thought was quickly dismissed when he remembered that his phone was most likely bugged. There was no way he was willing to risk Mary's life when he was so close. No, he'd have to do this on his own and hope that these psychos didn't go back on their end of the deal.

Danny pulled through the dilapidated gate of the abandoned airstrip; the shiny steel padlock, which had secured it at one point, stood out starkly in contrast to the rusted metal of the chain link. He could see a jet on the runway a short distance away and he turned the car in that direction. Once he pulled up next to the plane he finally noticed a series of small metal buildings in the background and several figures with guns. As he stepped out of the car he was immediately greeted by one of them—his face of course hidden behind an evil mask.

"Good afternoon, Mr. McCoy. So glad you could join us."

"Where's Mary?"

"Ah-ah-ah. Where is the money?"

Danny reached into the back seat and pulled out the duffel bag—throwing it roughly at the man's feet.

"Where's Mary?"

The man gave a slight jerk of his head and one of the others stepped forward to pick up the bag. He stepped aside and opened it to check the contents.

"It's all here."

"Take it and get on the plane," he ordered. "I'll join you momentarily."

"I did what you asked. WHERE IS SHE?" Danny's sanity snapped and, ignoring the gun strapped to the man's side, he lunged forward. His progress was stopped by the sound of a mechanism being cocked and the feel of a muzzle pressed to the base of his skull. He'd been so blinded with rage he hadn't noticed one of the other men move behind him.

"Relax, Mr. McCoy," the man said as he backed away towards the plane. "You've fulfilled your obligations and we have every intention of fulfilling ours."

Danny felt the pressure of the gun to his head ease and finally saw the dark figure move around him to join his companion. Both men ascended the steps of the plane, but before Danny could protest the leader turned back to him. Raising his gun he pointed it at Danny first, but then moved it ever so slightly to focus on a target just behind him. The shot startled Danny, but not as much as the explosion. He fell to the ground when the force of the blast hit him hard. Pushing himself to his feet, he slowly turned to see Ed's car in a ball of flames. They were going to leave him out here in the middle of nowhere—with or without Mary it was a deadly scenario. Shaking his head in disbelief, Danny screamed in frustration.

"WHERE IS SHE!"

"She's closer than you think." Those last words were said with arrogance and amusement as the masked man stepped inside the jet and pulled the door closed. Danny didn't wait for the aircraft to take off before he bolted towards the buildings. He pushed the metal door open and rushed inside.

"MARY! MARY, ANSWER ME!" He called out to her desperately, but the only reply was the echo of his own voice. Danny heard the plane outside lift off, but his focus was on finding Mary. He searched every room in the first building, but they were empty. Finally, he descended a short set of stairs that led to a walkway to the second building.

Calling Mary's name he threw open every door he passed only to be greeted by silence. When the walkway opened up into the third and largest building his hope dwindled. It was obviously a hangar and the open space provided few places for them to hide her. As he ran towards a small closet in the back corner he tripped over something and went sprawling. Getting to his feet, Danny looked back and noticed the door in the floor and he suddenly felt sick. Fearful of what he might find, he tried to swallow the adrenaline and dread as he reached down to open the hatch. The light from above shone down through the dark hole and Danny gasped in agony.

Lowering himself through the opening, Danny maneuvered his legs so as not to step on Mary's crumpled form. Her body was curled in almost a fetal position and she was deathly pale. Once he was with her in the small space, he carefully turned her head so he could see her face—noting immediately the intense heat radiating from her body. Had it not been for the raspy sound of her labored breathing, Danny would have thought she was dead. Her eyes were sunken in and her skin had taken on a ghostly pallor. Danny gently tried to straighten her body, careful of her arm--grotesquely swollen and tinged with bright hues of purple and green.

"No," she protested weakly.

"Mary, sweetie, it's Danny. Can you hear me?"

Her only reply was a soft whimper and Danny reached down to push the sweaty tendrils of hair away from her forehead. He put his mouth close to her ear and whispered, "Everything's going to be okay. We're going to get you to the hospital. I promise, baby."

His words seemed to cause her some distress as she turned her head from side to side and whimpered even more. "No. No, Danny…have to…something…." Danny realized what she was trying to tell him and he gently kissed her forehead.

"I know, Mary. I know about the baby. Everything's going to be okay." He tried to sound hopeful as he struggled to overcome his despair. How could he promise her that when he had no idea how they were going to get out of here? The thought had no sooner floated through his head when he heard the voice of an angel.

"DANNY?"

"MIKE? WE'RE DOWN HERE!"

"I FOUND HIM, MR. D."

Danny looked up to see his friend's head peeking through the opening. He had no idea how Mike and Ed had found them and he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was the woman before him.

"Help me get her out of here." Danny pulled Mary's limp form to a sitting position and wrapped one arm around her torso while the other supported her head. He stood straight up and hoisted her body until Mike could pull her up and onto the floor of the hangar. By that point she was shivering uncontrollably and once Danny had joined them he pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around her. By the time Ed arrived, Danny was lifting Mary into his arms and walking briskly towards him.

"We've got to get to a hospital NOW!" Danny said as they hurried back through the buildings.

"Is she conscious?" Ed asked.

"Barely."

"Danny?" He heard Mary softly call his name and he adjusted her so his head was closer to hers.

"I'm right here."

"I'm so sorry, Danny."

"For what? You didn't do anything, Mary."

"But… the baby's crying, Danny. She's crying and I can't help her." Danny's heart broke as her whimpers gave way to quiet sobs.

Hearing her strange comments, Mike turned back with a look of confusion on his face.

"She's delirious," Ed told him as they stepped out into the sun and made their way towards the chopper.

Once they were loaded inside—Mary cradled in Danny's lap—Ed instructed the pilot to take them to Vegas Memorial Hospital. Danny just prayed that it wouldn't be too late.


	21. Chapter 21

Danny held Mary's hand as he rushed alongside the gurney into the ER. Even in her weakened state, Mary's grip was surprisingly strong and it gave him hope that that she was going to pull through. Once they passed through the double doors he was forced to let go of her and let the doctors do their work.

"She's pregnant," he said for probably the tenth time in the last five minutes and yet another nurse made sure it was noted on Mary's chart. Danny stood back out of the way as a flurry of activity surrounded her. He watched her dress and the shirt he'd wrapped her with fall to the floor in pieces as she was covered with various drapes and blankets. More people entered the room as IV's were started, blood was taken and different leads were connected.

"Are you her husband?" One of the nurses who had met them on the roof approached him with a clipboard in hand. Danny nodded his head, knowing that answering in the affirmative would make things much easier.

"How long has she been this way?"

"I'm not sure," he said, trying to get a glimpse of Mary through the crowd of people. At the nurse's disgusted look, Danny tried to explain. For some reason he couldn't stand the idea of this woman thinking he'd been neglecting Mary or much worse, that he'd done anything to hurt her.

"She was kidnapped—four days ago, but I don't know how long she's been sick. She wasn't ill when they took her."

The woman's look of disdain changed to sympathy as she continued with her questions. "Do you know how far along she is?"

Danny shook his head again. "She just found out this week." He tried to listen as the doctors and nurses shouted numbers and orders back and forth, but everything was still a blur inside his head. "Is she going to be alright?"

Before the woman could answer, she abruptly pulled Danny out of the way as a technician entered with a large machine.

"Good. Let's get an ultrasound so we can see what we're dealing with," the doctor said as he looked up and reached for the wand.

Danny held his breath as everyone grew almost quiet with anticipation. Suddenly, the swooshing sound of the ultrasound machine filled the room followed by a garbled, but rapid thumping noise.

"Is that what I think it is?" Danny quietly whispered to the nurse.

"That's your baby's heartbeat," she told him with a warm smile and Danny couldn't help but smile back. His joy was replaced with fear, however, when the piercing cry of an alarm cut through the din of activity. Danny took a step towards Mary, but the nurse stopped him, having realized immediately what the problem was.

"It's okay. She just pulled off one of the leads to the heart monitor. They'll reconnect it in just a second."

"Mary, we need you to relax." Danny could hear the doctor plead as other people moved quickly around the table.

"Is my baby alive?" Mary's voice sounded so tiny and Danny's heart ached for her.

"For now, but you have to let us treat you."

Danny could see Mary's face as she listened to the man intently. He was thankful that she appeared to be lucid, but he could tell by the look on her face she was about to put up a fight. "No. I don't want to take anything. I don't want to do anything that could hurt my baby."

"Mary, look at me. Right now the fever and the infection are hurting your baby much more than any medication we're going to give you," the doctor tried to reassure her while still stressing the gravity of the situation. "You have to let us help you or you're both going to die."

That statement sent Danny over the edge and he broke free of the nurse's hold. "Mary, please," he begged from his position at her feet, the only space left for anyone to stand.

Even through the haze that was clouding her mind she could hear the desperation in Danny's voice. She squeezed her eyes shut, causing a flood of tears to pour down her face before finally nodding her assent. Danny gently rubbed her leg through the heavy covers keeping her warm before he felt a hand pulling him back and away again.

---

Two hours later and Danny was more exhausted than he'd been in his entire life--even more than when he'd returned from active duty two years ago. He knew the FBI was waiting like a pack of wolves. Ed had managed to keep them occupied while Danny was with Mary, but his boss' charm could only go so far.

Mary. He wasn't sure if it was the antibiotics or just the fact that she was finally out of that hell hole, but she seemed to be improving with each passing moment and she was finally being moved to a private room. As Danny waited in the hallway for them to bring her up from the ER he finally had a moment to think about everything that had happened. He tried to recall anything and everything that might be useful in tracking these guys down, but one thought kept him from concentrating on much else—he was going to be a father. The intense fear he'd felt this last week over losing Mary or the baby had kept him from even considering that he should be scared about the rest of their lives. Now when he actually had time to take a breath he realized that it wasn't exactly fear that was overwhelming him, but anxiety. Before Danny could dwell on this new feeling, the elevator doors opened and he was once again focused on Mary.

It didn't take them long to get her settled and the two of them were finally left alone. Her skin was pale, but her cheeks were flushed with the remnants of the fever. They had set her arm and it was in a temporary cast until the orthopedic specialist Ed had called in could be consulted. Danny brushed Mary's hair away from her face and placed a tender kiss to her forehead—noting thankfully that she was much cooler than the last time he'd touched her. The feel of his lips against her skin caused Mary to stir and Danny quickly pulled the chair close to the bed and brought her uninjured hand up to his face.

"Mary? Can you hear me?"

She whimpered a bit before calling out for him softly. "Danny?"

"I'm right here, Mary."

It took a bit of effort, but she finally opened her eyes and looked at Danny. He smiled brightly and Mary's eyes instantly filled with tears. "Hi," she barely managed, her voice breaking.

"Hey," he told her, leaning forward until their lips were touching. "I missed you."

"Danny…"

"Sshhh. You need to rest. I just wanted you to know that I'm right here."

Mary took a deep breath and nodded her head before realization hit and she turned to Danny in obvious distress. "The baby?"

Danny smiled again, looking her straight in the eye. "Hanging in there—the doctor said the heart rate was a bit off when you first got here, but it's leveled out and they sound optimistic."

"What aren't you telling me?"

Before Danny could respond a short, dark-haired woman in her 40's entered the room.  
"Hello, Mary."

"Dr. Overton? I didn't expect to see you here. How did you even know I was pregnant?"

The doctor looked a bit confused and they both turned to Danny for an explanation.

"I knew you'd made an appointment with her--they called to confirm--so I gave them her name. With everything that's happened, I just thought you'd be more comfortable with your own doctor."

"Thank you," Mary whispered, grateful for Danny's uncanny ability to anticipate her feelings. Mary had felt at ease with Dr. O from the moment they'd met. She was nice, but no-nonsense and Mary had been going to her regularly for almost ten years.

"Good, now that we have that cleared up—let's talk babies... and kidney infections," Dr. Overton said as she glanced at the first few pages of Mary's chart.

"A kidney infection?"

"Yep--a real nasty one by the looks of it. The IV antibiotic the doctor in the ER started you on looks likes it's working really well. How do you feel?"

"Woozy and worn out. I feel like I want to move, but my muscles aren't really cooperating and my back is killing me."

"All that should pass. Is your arm bothering you?"

"A little, but not too bad."

"They gave you some Demerol before they set it. If the pain gets to be too much as it wears off let one of the nurses know."

"Dr. O, I'm really concerned about the effect all this is having on the baby."

"I know, sweetie, but you have to understand that there really was no other choice. The doctors did choose drugs with a lower risk of side effects, but we'll need to monitor the pregnancy pretty closely."

The older woman put down Mary's chart and sat at the foot of the bed. "Okay, I want to be completely honest with you guys. The baby seems to be doing okay, but after a trauma or illness like this it's not unusual for a miscarriage to happen days—sometimes weeks-- later."

Mary gripped Danny's hand and tried to hold back her tears.

"I'm not saying it's going to happen," Dr. O assured them. "In fact, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that it doesn't and that includes, Mary, putting you on bedrest—at least until the end of the first trimester."

Danny turned to see if Mary was going to protest, but she simply nodded her head—her watery gaze still focused on her doctor.

"Okay, good," Dr. O stood up when another tech arrived with the ultrasound machine.

"According to the doctor in the ER, you're between nine and ten weeks, Mary. Does that sound right?"

"Nine weeks?" Danny's heart sank as he realized that he and Mary had only been back together for six.

"We determine gestational age based on the mother's last menstrual cycle, Danny, not by the date of conception. Conception was probably around seven or eight weeks ago. Does that sound better?"

That did sound a little better, but Danny was still having a bit of difficulty with the math. "What were we doing seven weeks ago?" he said more to himself than to the two women in the room.

"I've got a pretty good idea, but I can bring in some visual aids if you'd like," the doctor told him sarcastically as she exposed Mary's stomach and squirted it with the requisite goo.

Mary chuckled as Danny's face turned three shades of red, but she couldn't help but feel a little hurt. "Did you actually think it might not be yours?"

Danny stuttered a bit in his reply, "No… of course not, but if you were…I mean…it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't change things, Mary. I love you."

She was too touched by his words to be angry with him so she merely rolled her eyes and put his worries to rest, "It was the night before my ski trip, Danny. It had to be."

He couldn't believe he'd forgotten about that night and he felt like a cad for even thinking this baby might be anyone else's. He leaned forward and placed a soft, lingering kiss on Mary's temple before whispering in her ear, "I guess it's a good thing we got back together, then."

Mary smiled and turned her head to kiss him again before the sound of Dr. O clearing her throat interrupted them.

"So, let's take a look," Dr. O placed the wand on Mary's belly while Danny held her hand. "I wanna see this little peanut for myself."

The rapid thumps that Danny now recognized as the heartbeat were even louder this time and the sound brought him an overwhelming sense of relief and comfort.

Mary stared intently as the grainy, black and white image appeared on the screen. She smiled when she realized Dr. O's description had been right on the money--the baby did resemble a little peanut. While she watched the flutter on the screen and listened to the steady beat of her baby's heart she turned to see Danny's reaction.

He looked…mesmerized. It was the only word Mary could think of to describe the complete look of awe she saw on his face. The fresh round oftears she'd been trying so desperately to hold back finally spilled over as she watched one lonely drop leave a salty trail down Danny's cheek. Mary smiled at him and untangled their hands so she could gently wipe the tear away. He glanced down at her with a radiant smile before turning back to the screen, but Mary couldn't stop looking at him. She knew deep down in her soul that everything would be alright as long as they were together …it just had to be.


	22. Chapter 22

It was her third day in the hospital and Danny knew Mary was more than ready to go home—even if it was just a matter of moving from a hospital bed to her own. Luckily, both her obstetrician and the internist on morning rounds had agreed. Danny had been by her side since she was brought in, but she was feeling better and had sent him home the night before with orders to get some much needed rest. As he gently pushed open the door to her room, he was met with a sight he never expected to see.

Mary had changed out of her hospital gown and was sitting up in bed while Delinda and Sam snuggled on either side of her. All three of the girls had the remnants of tears and mascara on their faces, but they were currently giggling and gossiping like a trio of teenagers.

"Ladies," he greeted them with a huge grin. "Somehow when I imagined this you were all wearing a lot less clothes."

They rolled their eyes at Danny while Sam and Delinda pulled themselves up and out of the bed.

"Everything okay?" Danny asked, all joking aside.

"Everything's fine," Mary assured him. "The girls brought me some clothes to wear home and we just had a few things to discuss and work through."

He realized that Delinda had probably told her what happened since he'd never had the chance and he was glad to see that they'd gotten past any hard feelings or resentment.

"Yeah, congratulations, Big Daddy," Sam teasingly told him. "But neither of you are off the hook for keeping this whole romance thing a secret." Sam leaned down to give Mary a quick kiss on the cheek. Delinda did the same before giving Danny a smile and following Sam out of the room.

Once they were gone, Mary took a good look at Danny. "You didn't get any rest, did you?"

Sighing, he moved to the bed to sit next to her, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I'll rest when you're home, I promise."

When he pulled back he noticed that Mary had suddenly become fascinated with a tiny string on her white tank top and appeared to be lost in thought.

"You sure you're okay? I was going to tell you about what happened with Delinda, I just didn't get a chance."

Mary finally glanced up at his worried expression, "Oh, honey, it's not that. Delinda and I talked about everything and I know it wasn't your fault. I was just thinking about something…the FBI was here this morning."

"What? Why the hell didn't they tell me they were going to question you again?" Danny was angry and he stood up and immediately pulled out his cell phone to give Agent Davis a piece of his mind.

"It's okay, Danny," Mary reached out her hand, hoping that he would join her on the bed again. When he did, she went on, "They didn't upset me. I just wish I could remember something helpful. It's so frustrating—it's like there's something I'm missing, but I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe if I could give them a lead they'd stop blaming you for everything." She knew the FBI had been furious with Danny for not contacting them and they had done everything short of accusing him of being the mastermind of the entire Masquerade Group.

"I don't want you to worry about that. I would do everything all over again--nothing mattered to me but getting you back, Mary."

"Danny? You haven't really told me about what happened."

"It doesn't matter." He had been tightlipped about everything her rescue had entailed, knowing that the details would only upset her.

"It does to me. Are you in trouble for taking the money? I mean surely Casey understands…maybe we can figure out a way to…"

"It wasn't Casey's money."

"But it belonged to the Montecito?"

Begrudgingly, Danny realized that his plan to shelter her from the truth had one major flaw—Mary hated to be kept in the dark. He was going to have to tell her because it would only make it that much worse if she found out on her own.

"It was Ed's money."

Mary sat in stunned silence. The fact that their boss had been willing to put up so much of his own money to save her life, she couldn't even find the words to express how truly overwhelming this information was. Finally able to speak, Mary said the only think she could think of, "Danny, how are we going to pay him back?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to start by finding these guys."

"You will do no such thing, Danny McCoy, the FBI…," Mary's protest ended as the door to her room swung open and a nurse entered with a wheelchair.

"Your ride's here," Danny stood up and offered her his hand.

Mary narrowed her eyes and glared at him a moment. "This isn't over, buddy."

He knew Mary was referring to their conversation, but she didn't realize how right her statement was. It was the reason why he had to find these guys. This ordeal would never be over as long as these guys were on the loose and he would do whatever it took to keep his family safe.

---

Danny carried Mary into her apartment and deposited her on the couch. She had wanted to walk from the car, but halfway through the parking lot, she realized there was no way she was going to make it. While she did feel marginally better, the fever and infection had done quite a number on her body and the doctors told her that combined with her pregnancy it was probably going to be awhile before she felt one hundred percent.

"You sure you're okay?" Danny had panicked when Mary started to lean heavily on him outside and it had taken quite a bit of reassurance to stop him from taking her immediately back to the ER.

"I just got tired, Danny. I'm okay."

"Okay, but promise you'll tell me if you think something's wrong." Dr. O's warning had scared them and the thought that Mary could miscarry still weighed heavily on both of their minds. As Danny adjusted the thermostat he noticed Mary fidgeting on the sofa.

"You need anything?"

"A shower. I haven't had one in a week and I feel gross."

"Are you saying you didn't enjoy all those sponge baths?" Danny questioned, an amused twinkle in his eye.

"Apparently not as much as you did," Mary bantered back before pushing herself up off the couch and slowly making her way towards the bedroom. "Grab that cast protector and meet me in the shower, big guy."

"Yes, ma'am."

Once in the bathroom, Danny helped Mary out of her clothes and pulled the plastic sleeve over her arm. He adjusted the water temperature before grabbing a couple of towels from the cabinet and putting them within easy reach. Worried that she wouldn't be able to stand for very long on her own he quickly shed his own clothes and they both stepped gingerly through the glass door.

Mary was in heaven as Danny held her close—one arm wrapped protectively around her waist while the other massaged shampoo into her hair. Once he'd reached an acceptable lather, he gently moved her head so that it was under the soothing spray. He followed the same steps with the conditioner before reaching for her soft loofa and helping her sit on the marble seat in the corner of the shower.

Mary had no idea when Danny stepped into the shower with her that she was going to be getting the full service wash. She thought he'd help keep her balance while she awkwardly tried to clean herself, but this was much better. Danny poured an enormous amount of her favorite body gel onto the sponge and--starting at the tips of her toes—gently worked his way up each of her legs. Her neck, torso and arms soon followed before he helped her stand again to wash the soap and bubbles away.

Stepping out of the shower, Danny wrapped Mary in one of the large, fluffy towels before securing another one around his waist and heading off in search of her pajamas. Mary managed to dry herself pretty well before Danny returned—dressed in a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. She put on her own sleepwear and pulled a comb through her hair while Danny rummaged through the cabinets for her hairdryer, but when she reached for it, he stopped her.

"Do you want me to do it?" he asked quietly. Mary could only nod her assent, her emotions getting the best of her at his never-ending series of loving gestures.

Once her hair was dried, Mary looked at the reflection in the mirror. "You know, I think you missed your calling. You definitely should have been a hairdresser."

"Very funny," Danny smiled at her comment and helped her to the bed. They lay facing each other, both of them lost in the other's gaze, before Mary broke the silence.

"I'm scared, Danny. What if the baby's not okay?"

Danny reached under her shirt and placed his hand on Mary's stomach, tracing feather light patterns across her bare skin. "Everything's going to be alright. This is our little Energizer bunny, right?"

Mary didn't think it was possible for a person to cry so much, but she was sure she had exceeded some type of world's record in the last few days. While the tears continued to fall, Danny's nickname for the baby did make her smile and he smiled back. His smile soon faded and Mary sensed a shift in his mood.

"I was thinking maybe we should move—get out of Vegas."

"What are you talking about, Danny? Where would we go?"

"A better place to raise our kids, maybe. Somewhere quiet and relaxing; somewhere safer; somewhere that my job didn't put you in danger; somewhere…,"

"Boring?" Mary interrupted him.

"Mary, I'm just trying to think about the future."

"I know, sweetie, and I love you for it, but I don't want to move. I don't know about you, but I need our friends right now, Danny--more than ever and we were both raised in Vegas and we didn't turn out so bad. Besides, you love your job. How can you even talk about leaving it?"

"Because I love you more," Danny told her, flipping over onto his back to stare at the ceiling. Mary scooted closer to him, placing her head on his chest so she could hear the pounding of his heart.

"I don't want to leave, Danny, but if that's what you really want, I will. Is it? Is it what you really want?"

Kissing Mary's forehead, Danny let out a frustrated sigh. "I just want our lives to be normal. I want to come home at a decent hour and put on my slippers and have my beer and watch football while my kids playin the yard and my beautiful wife regales me with tales of her day. Is that too much to ask?"

Mary couldn't help but giggle at his description of a normal life. "Slippers? Danny, you can't be serious? That's even cheesier than my 'white picket fence' fantasy. Is that what you really want?"

"I don't know, but I do want you." He kissed the tip of her nose. "And I do want this baby. And I want all of us to be safe. Is _that_ too much to ask?" he finished quietly.

"No," Mary said with tears in her eyes. "It's not too much at all."


	23. Chapter 23

After their shower, Danny and Mary slept the rest of the afternoon. In fact, the sun was just setting behind the horizon when Danny's cell phone vibrated on the nightstand with a message from Ed that they might have some information about the case. He softly kissed Mary and urged her to sleep before leaving their bed to dress.

Thirty minutes later he softly pulled the bedroom door closed and brought his index finger to his mouth, indicating to the others that they needed to be as quiet as possible. Ed, Mike and Frank all nodded their understanding as Danny moved to join them in the living room.

"She doing okay?" Ed asked, concerned.

"Yeah, but she needs her rest. And thank you guys for meeting up here. I'm just not ready to leave her yet." Danny took a seat in one of the side chairs and turned to them with a serious expression. "So, what did you find out?"

"A possible connection," Frank said as he leaned back against the couch. "All these guys were in the military at some point and at least two of them were discharged."

"Yeah, so was I," Danny told him.

"Not for 'conduct unbecoming'."

"What?" Danny asked in disbelief before Ed picked up the next part of the story.

"These guys were good soldiers, but that's all they were—soldiers. They were completely dedicated to the service—highly trained, sent into extreme situations and then sent home to pretend like everything was okay. You know how hard it was to readjust, Danny. And you also know how important it was for you to have someone to come home to. These guys didn't have anyone. After their return, they encountered various psychological problems, drinking problems, drugs--until they'd used up all their chances."

"But if these guys were dishonorably discharged then why didn't anyone notice? It's damn near impossible to get a job with something like that on your record—you might as well have a felony conviction."

"Because they weren't dishonorably discharged. The military has so much to deal with right now they probably just wanted to cover up the fact that they let these guys down. These were highly decorated servicemen. They gave them an out and swept it under the rug."

Danny rested his elbows on his knees, processing all the information Frank and Ed had laid out. He'd known guys who had nothing but the Corps and they could be pretty diehard. He could only imagine what might happen if the only thing you'd ever known was suddenly yanked out from under you and these guys were forced into the real world with no idea how to function as civilians. Add to that the fact they most likely had a chip on their shoulder the size of Mt. Rushmore and that could make for some pretty pissed off, highly trained security personnel.

"What about the third guy?"

"We haven't been able to get access to the Royal Air Force service records, but I'm betting that he had similar problems."

"Okay, so that's what we know about the inside guys. That still doesn't really explain why they end up dead," Danny's mind was racing with possibilities, but Frank was quick to voice his thoughts.

"Well, I have a couple of theories on that. I don't think they really knew what they were getting into until it was too late. At some point that duty, honor, country thing is bound to kick in and they start regretting what they've done—maybe arguing a bit too much with whoever is in charge and so they have to be eliminated."

"There's something else that's been bothering me though," Mike interrupted. "I keep thinking about what the guy said to you on the phone, Danny. About wanting you to feel weak and helpless. These guys are on some sort of power trip. Maybe it's in their plans all along to use these strong, military guys and then get rid of them. It certainly would add to the rush—bringing a whole other level of pawns to the playing field."

"That's a pretty elaborate theory, Mike."

"Yeah, well, I'm speaking from the perspective of a computer nerd who spent the majority of his high school career being tormented by jocks."

Danny nodded his head. He wasn't exactly sure how it was going to help them track these guys down, but it was an interesting observation. "These are all great theories, but right now I'm concerned with finding out who the inside guy is at the Montecito. Almost everyone on our security staff is former military—going through all those classified records could take weeks and the clock is ticking. We know he's still here so how the hell do we figure out who he is?"

Every one of them looked down at the floor. The truth was while they may have some great ideas as to why these guys were chosen, it really didn't help them narrow their search down. They needed a break and it just wasn't forthcoming.

"Look, there's got to be something else," Ed told them all. "Let's keep digging and we'll meet again in the morning."

Danny closed the door behind everyone and swiped his hand roughly over his face. A glance at the clock told him that it had probably been almost twelve hours since Mary had eaten and he headed towards the kitchen. After preparing his specialty—grilled cheese and canned chicken noodle soup—he found a tray and carefully carried the items, along with a tall glass of orange juice to the bedroom.

"Wake up sleepyhead," Danny set the tray at the end of the bed and reached to switch on the lamp. He immediately noticed that Mary's peaceful slumber had turned into a restless sleep. Her eyes were still closed, but the smoothness of her forehead was creased in concern and her right hand had curled into a tight fist.

"Mary," Danny softly ran his hand across her face, trying to soothe whatever dream seemed to have her so upset. When he heard the first sounds of her soft whimpers and saw tears slipping from closed lids, he leaned down and ran his hand through her hair, coaxing her back to consciousness.

"Wake up, sweetie. It's okay, you're safe."

Mary finally did open her eyes, but she didn't seem to focus on Danny at first and that scared him. Even though she was awake now, she still seemed lost in the nightmare.

Danny peppered her hairline with soft kisses until he felt some of her tension ease and her arm reach around his neck to pull him closer.

"He's here, Danny," Mary's voice startled him.

"It was just a dream, sweetie. You're okay."

Mary shook her head vigorously from side to side. "I remember now, Danny."

"What are you talking about?" He leaned back so he could look into her face, gently wiping her tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"It's him. He's right here and he's been helping them all along," she couldn't contain her sobs anymore and Danny held her head tightly to his chest.

"Mary, baby, you're scaring me. Who do you remember?"

"Mark. Mark Benton."

---

Jillian's surprise visit couldn't have come at a better time and despite Mary's insistence that he wait for the FBI, Danny was currently headed down to the security room. His blood boiled as he thought about the day he'd seen this guy flirting with Mary. That little scene had probably been his downfall. If Mark hadn't chatted her up that day, Mary might not have ever recognized his voice as that of one of her kidnappers.

"Hey, Mark. Wanna help me interrogate someone?" Danny grabbed the man firmly by the shoulder, his rage barely contained.

Oblivious to Danny's anger, Mark stood up and followed, "Sounds like fun."

Danny ushered him down the hall towards the interrogation room, but once inside Mark looked around, confused.

"So, where's the guy?"

"You're the guy!" Danny told him and without missing a beat he head butted Mark hard. It didn't take Mark long to recover and soon he was striking back at Danny, delivering a swift punch to his jaw and sending Danny stumbling against the wall. The two men traded blows, neither one gaining the upper hand until they were both pulled apart--Ed taking Mark while Mike tried to restrain Danny.

"That's enough!" Ed yelled. "What the hell is going on?"

"He's crazy. He just attacked me!"

"You know exactly what's going on you son of a bitch," Danny said, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"Why don't you enlighten me, McCoy," Mark spat, clutching his ribs and trying to catch his breath.

"She remembered his voice, Ed. She's positive he's one of them."

"Mike, call the FBI—NOW." Mike released Danny and bolted from the room as Ed grabbed Mark and forced him into a chair.

"You got something you want to tell us, Mr. Benton?"

"I don't know what the hell he's talking about, Mr. Deline."

Ed pulled a chair close to Mark so he could look him in the eye. "Mark. I can call you Mark, right?"

"Call me whatever you want. Look, I'm not afraid of you people. I haven't done anything."

"My buddy Danny thinks that you have."

Mike reentered the room and handed Ed a few pieces of paper and he looked at them for a moment before turning his attention back to the suspect.

"Mark, you were in the Navy, right?"

"Yeah, I've been out for a little over a year. So?"

"Did you leave on good terms?"

"I was discharged."

"This says here you had some problems with your commanding officer."

"How the hell did you get that? Those records were sealed." Mark tried to grab the papers, but Danny pulled him roughly back into his seat.

"How did you feel about leaving the service, Mark? I mean, you enlisted right out of high school; looks like you thought you were in this for the long haul. There are a lot of commendations in here. Must have been pretty devastating to be kicked out?"

Mark turned away from Ed, his hands clenching into fists.

"It wasn't my fault. That shithead Ensign, right out of Annapolis... thought he was a bad ass. Thought he was better than me. He was in diapers when I joined up."

"So you got yourself all liquored up and thought you'd take a joy ride."

"No, it's not like that...," Mark tried to argue, his anger rising, but Ed pressed on.

"Thought you'd crash through the gates--threw away your whole career."

"Stop! You don't know anything." Mark paused in an attempt to regain his composure. "You don't know anything," he whispered. "After everything I did. I devoted my life to the Navy."

"So naturally you were pretty damn pissed. You'd forgotten what it was like to live in the real world. You had no family, no savings, no future and then some people came along and gave you a chance to do what you do best."

"I didn't know..." If Mark realized he'd slipped up he didn't show it.

"This covert operation must have seemed like a dream, didn't it, Mark? I bet they told you how much they needed your expertise and your military training." Ed was relentless, trying to push him to the breaking point. "I bet they told you what an asset you were going to be to their organization. I bet they told you how much they needed you, didn't they Mark?"

The younger man slammed both his palms down on the table and screamed in frustration, "I didn't have anything to do with what happened to Ms. Connell."

Ed and Danny exchanged knowing glances. "How do you know we're talking about Mary?"

Mark flinched, but tried to keep his cool. "McCoy's just jealous because I was talking to her the other day."

"Nice try. Only a few people besides the FBI know anything about the events of this past week and I'm pretty sure none of them told you. Now, I'm going to ask you again. How do you know we were talking about Ms. Connell."

When Mark still didn't answer, Ed tried another approach. He nodded for Danny to take a seat on the other side of the table and once he was in place Ed grabbed Mark's arm and twisted it hard—just as they'd done to Mary. When the he tried to fight back Danny held him down.

"Mr. D," Mike pleaded, suddenly nervous at the tactics his boss and friend were using on this guy.

Ignoring Mike's protest, Ed spoke again—this time with Mark's full attention.

"Mr. Benton, we've been doing a lot of research on the Masquerade Group—I know you're familiar with them," the sarcasm and disdain dripped like honey from Ed's tongue. "And one thing we've discovered is that in every heist they've managed to pull off the inside guy always ends up dead. So, my question is, what makes you think this job will be any different than the last?"

Mark gritted his teeth in pain, summing every ounce of strength he could muster, but he finally realized it just wasn't worth it anymore.

"They said they weren't going to hurt her," he screamed and Ed immediately released his grip. It took him a moment to recover, but after a few deep breaths Mark started again, "Look, I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I never would have gotten involved if I'd known they were going to hurt her—I swear."

"If you were so worried about her then why didn't you tell someone what was going on?" Danny stood up and began furiously pacing the room.

"Self-preservation, I guess. I'm only human. I didn't want to get caught."

Mark's smug tone sent Danny into a rage again and he yanked the man up by the collar. "You're not human! You're an animal just like them!"

"Hey, I'm the one who told them to speed things up. I knew how sick she was and that there was no way she would last until the end of the week. I was trying to help her."

"Danny, enough!" Ed put a hand on his protégé's shoulder and Danny roughly pushed Mark back into the chair.

Just then, Mike heard a knock at the door and opened it to reveal Agents Davis and O'Dell.

"Mr. Benton, I'm sure you know Agents Davis and O'Dell of the FBI. They're going to ask you some questions and I suggest you cooperate with them."

His bravado having returned, Mark rolled his eyes at Ed's statement and the older man reached down and grabbed his little finger, bending it back until he heard it pop out of joint. Agent Davis moved to protest, but his partner grabbed his arm, indicating they should let Ed finish. The former CIA operative leaned close to Mark's ear and whispered menacingly as the man grimaced in pain, "I know you think you're hot stuff, but you will tell these men everything you know and help us find your friends or what they had planned for your sorry ass will seem like a walk through Candyland compared to what Danny and I will do once we get you alone again. Do you understand?"

"Fine," Mark told him through gritted teeth. "I'll tell you what I know."


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

Danny leafed through his mail as he unlocked the door to his condo. This was the first time he'd been here in almost a week and he was planning to keep this visit brief. He'd talked to a realtor yesterday about putting the place on the market and they'd agreed on a fair asking price—almost $100,000.00 higher than what Danny had paid for it a year ago. It had been pretty easy to convince Mary that she needed him around full time and since his place held too many bad memories they'd decided to stay in Mary's condo at the Montecito until they could find something bigger.

As he pulled a duffle and his suit bag out of the closet, Danny thought about everything they had learned so far from Mark Benton. After Ed's initial interrogation the FBI had taken over and it was decided that they should remain on the property so as not to attract suspicion from the other members.

While Mark had been able to tell them how they'd infiltrated the security systems and the purpose of the virus Danny had uploaded, he had no idea how to contact the other men in the Group. The two weeks immediately following the ransom drop were a communications blackout period. Mark was to spend that time erasing any trace of his activities at the Montecito and then rendezvous at a designated place and time as yet to be determined. He'd given the FBI the location of every meeting place, every training facility and every hideout they'd used since he'd been recruited, but all of them had been abandoned. Their only chance now was to wait a few more days for these guys to make contact and try to set up a sting. Mark was being shadowed 24/7 just as much for protection as he was for security.

Once his suitcases were full, Danny headed to the kitchen to dispose of anything suspicious in the fridge and then opened the pantry door. He moved aside the Lucky Charms to reveal the wall safe and carefully entered the familiar code into the keypad. Taking what he needed from inside, he secured the safe, grabbed his bags and locked the door behind him.

---

Mary's first few days home had been filled with visitors—Delinda, Sam, Jillian, Ed, Mike, Sarasvati and even Mitch had kept Mary occupied during the day, but those visits had dwindled and now it was just her and her thoughts. Her friends had returned to their busy lives and Mary felt left out and alone. The last thing she ever wanted to be to anyone—especially Danny--was a burden and in her current circumstances she couldn't help but feel that's exactly what she was.

Of course Danny had been wonderful, making sure she had everything she needed, but Mary was used to taking care of him—especially emotionally--and this role reversal was unfamiliar territory. Delinda and Sam thought she was crazy. They'd told her that she should enjoy the attention while it lasted because the minute she was back on her feet Danny would revert back to his old insensitive self, but Mary didn't think so. She didn't know if it was the baby or something else, but she recognized a change in Danny. He was still the same fun-loving man she fell in love with, but there was an air of responsibility that followed him now. He was more sure of himself; more attentive to her needs; more concerned about the future and not just living for the moment; and all of these changes, while new and unfamiliar, gave Mary a tremendous sense of pride and hope.

She smiled as she thought about their discussion yesterday morning. Mary had mentioned they would need to find a bigger condo—one that could accommodate a nursery—but Danny was insistent that only a house would do. There was no way his kids were going to be raised in some high rise condo off the Strip. Kids—that was another thing that made her smile. Every time they talked about the future Danny always used the word "kids", as if in his mind's eye there was more than just the baby she carried inside of her. It was little things like that which encouraged Mary whenever she started to question their relationship and this week any doubts she might have had all but vanished.

She was uncertain about many things, but she knew for sure now where she fit into Danny's life. A few nights ago when she'd woken from a rather troubling nightmare, she felt Danny's arms wrap around her as he softly whispered how much he loved her. How he'd almost given up hope during the previous year that they would ever find their way back to each other. It was in that quiet moment that Mary made a confession.

"_Every time I dreamed about my future, even when I was with Jake, the babies I held in my arms always had warm brown eyes and adorable dimples. I guess my mind never stopped hoping that they would be yours ._"

Tears formed in her eyes as she remembered Danny turning her to face him so she could see the sparkle in his eyes. "_My dreams were always filled with tiny little redheads with smiles that lit up a room._" Mary had been speechless. She'd never imagined that Danny might have dreamt of their future the way she did and for him to admit it only made it that much more meaningful.

Sensing that she was yet again on the verge of tears after his admission, Danny had tried to lighten the mood. "_Of course those little redheads were pretty bossy so let's hope fate took pity on me and decided that one** bossy **redhead in my life was enough._"

They both chuckled and relaxed in each other's arms, drifting off into the shelter of their dreams once again. It wouldn't be long before those faraway dreams became a reality.

Mary swiped at her eyes, trying to stop the tears before they got out of hand. Sighing in frustration she picked up the remote and clicked on the television. She'd already read the two pregnancy books Jillian had bought her and been through a stack of magazines two feet high. She'd watched every Olympic event known to man and even tried to catch up with All My Children, but it just wasn't the same since they'd killed off Leo. She'd been in bed for over a week and it was starting to wear on her nerves. There was no way she'd make it if the doctor decided to prescribe bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.

That thought brought a fresh round of tears to her eyes and she started sobbing uncontrollably. Flinging the remote across the room, she buried her head in the pillows and let her emotions take over.

---

Danny had just walked through the door when he heard the sound of something hitting the wall, hard. He dropped his bags and rushed into the bedroom only to discover Mary in an obvious state of distress.

"What is it? Are you alright?" He joined her on the bed and immediately pulled her into his arms.

"Sshhh, tell me. Tell me what's wrong," he asked again, gently rubbing his hand up and down her back when she still didn't respond.

It took a moment, but Mary's sobs slowly gave way to soft hiccups and she was finally able to speak. "I'm going to be a terrible mother." The minute the words were out of her mouth the sobbing started anew.

"What?" Danny said, surprised. "Why would you say that, baby?"

"Because, I'm so selfish--all I care about is myself."

"Mary, honey, you're not making any sense. You're the most selfless person I know. Look at everything you've already gone through to protect this baby. Now tell me, why would you think that?"

"Because I'm bored," she snorted a bit as she tried to get her crying under control.

Danny bit his lip hard in an attempt to suppress his laughter. He'd been warned repeatedly by Jillian to expect quite a range of emotions from Mary, but he was still a bit unprepared. He knew that she was being irrational and that her hormones were causing her to overreact, but according to Jillian, drawing attention to either of those facts would probably be the last thing he ever did.

"I know you're tired of being in bed, Mary, but that certainly doesn't make you selfish."

"But the doctor said it was best for the baby and, Danny, I should just be thankful that we're both safe and that we even have a baby and instead all I can do is gripe about how much I want to get out and how much I miss you being able to make love to me and how nobody wants to come visit me anymore and they all have these exciting lives and all I can do is sit here and watch stupid daytime television and read these idiotic magazines and worry about being a burden on you and on everybody else when all I should be doing is thinking about my baby and how lucky we are that it's even still alive…" Mary's rambling finally dwindled off when she stopped to take a breath, but the break ended up leading to more sobbing.

Pulling her tight to his chest, Danny gently rocked them, cradling her head in his hands and dropping soft kisses to her neck and shoulder.

"It's alright, everything's okay. I don't want you to ever think you're a burden on me or anyone else for that matter. We all love you so much and we would do anything for you, okay? And you are not selfish, Mary. Just because you don't like the circumstances, doesn't mean you love this baby any less."

"But…"

"No, buts. You are an amazing person and you're going to be an amazing mother."

"I'm scared, Danny."

"So am I, but we'll get through this together, okay?"

Mary nodded her head and Danny handed her a tissue so she could wipe her nose.

"Now …I picked you up a new laptop and Mike said he'd come by tonight and set it all up so maybe you can start looking at houses and baby stuff."

Mary's eyes lit up and Danny mentally gave himself a pat on the back for his last minute purchase.

"And…," he leaned down to give Mary a soft kiss on the mouth. "We go back to the doctor next week so hopefully she'll give us the all clear on some of the other stuff." He waggled his eyebrows a little and Mary couldn't help but giggle.

"How'd you get so good at dealing with crazy pregnant women?" Mary asked as Danny retrieved the remote and tossed it on the bed.

Sensing that she was in a better mood Danny decided he could tease her a little bit, "What are you talking about? Between you and Sam and Delinda, I'm surrounded by crazy women everyday. The pregnancy thing is just a bonus since now I get a little prize at the end of it all for putting up with you." Danny gave her a wink as he dodged thepillow she tossed his way before heading into the bathroom to shower and change.


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

"Oh, thank God you're here," Mary grabbed Delinda by the arm and pulled her roughly into the apartment.

"You said it was urgent. What's going on?" Delinda followed Mary into the bedroom and gasped. "Mary, what the hell happened?" Every piece of clothing her friend owned was strewn throughout the room.

"Nothing fits me," Mary whined as she pushed a pile of clothes off of the bed and laid down on her back, trying desperately to zip up her jeans. "Uggh," she sighed, finally giving up on the zipper, "Even if I could get these zipped I'd probably be giving my baby brain damageby cutting off its oxygen supply!"

"I don't understand. Didn't you realize that you'd gotten bigger?"

"No! I've been wearing my pajamas for two weeks, Delinda, and now that I need to get dressed for my doctor's appointment, nothing fits. Why the hell do I always wear such tight clothes? Nothing has any give!"

"No worries…we just need to go shopping."

"Wow, why didn't I think of that?" Mary rolled her eyes. "I don't have time to go shopping. Danny is going to pick me up in an hour. All my sweats and pj's were dirty so I sent them out to be laundered. I have nothing to wear. What am I going to do?"

Delinda gave Mary a sympathetic look before sifting through the pile closest to her and pulling out a green wrap shirt. She tossed it on the bed and stepped into the closet, reappearing with a pair of Danny's black dress pants.

"Delinda, I'm big, but I'm not that big. Those are going to fall off of me—not to mention they're about two feet too long."

"Trust me, Mary. I know what I'm doing." The blonde disappeared into the bathroom and came back with a pair of scissors. Without ceremony she chopped the bottom of the legs off so that they would hit Mary just below her knees. Delinda tossed the pants to Mary and ordered her to put them on while she dug through her purse and pulled out a small sewing kit. With a few quick alterations, Delinda was able to make the pants fit Mary's waist. She helped the redhead into the stretchy, green shirt and then covered it all with her own khaki denim bolero jacket. Turning Mary to face the mirror, she couldn't help but feel proud of herself.

"What do you think?" Delinda asked, tossing Mary a pair of gold strappy heels.

Mary examined herself in the mirror from every angle. "I look like a homeless person, Dee."

"Hmmph--a very stylish homeless person," Delinda argued.

Both their eyes were drawn to the side of the waistband which bulged awkwardly where Delinda had folded the fabric and sewn it together. "Grab one of Danny's ties and we'll make a belt out of it. That should cover everything pretty well, plus it'll add a splash of color—color is always good."

Mary looked at her friend warily, but did as she was told. She supposed this was better than the alternative of biker shorts and one of Danny's t-shirts—the only thing she'd found so far that actually fit around her. As Mary dug through Danny's tie drawer, Delinda's phone rang.

"WHAT?"

"---"

"OMIGOD! I'm on my way."

Grabbing her purse and heading for the front door, she called back to Mary, "Gunther and Wolfgang are about to come to blows. I've got to go!"

Mary chuckled a little at the thought of the two chefs in a knock-down, drag-out before continuing her search for a "belt". Spotting a colorful tie she pulled it out of its neat little cubby and started to tie it around her waist, but her attention was caught by something else in the drawer. Mary pushed the other ties aside to reveal a small, velvet box. Staring in shock—she felt like all the air had suddenly left her lungs. She quickly slammed the drawer shut and grabbed the rest of her things, rushing out of the apartment.

---

"You still going through those files?" Danny walked into the conference room where Mike had been holed up for the last week.

"Yeah. I know there's something here that we're missing. Nobody is that good, Danny."

"You talk to Mark again?"

"Yeah, but he wasn't any help. It sounds like they pretty much kept him in the dark on things. I sent the virus they used to some of my buddies at MIT. I'm hoping they can tell me something more. I just keep thinking about these guys saying this was all a game. That's got to mean something."

"Well, let me know if you find anything. Mary and I have a doctor's appointment today so I'm outta here."

"Good luck with that, man. I hope everything's okay."

"Yeah, me too. I'll see you later."

---

"Mary, honey, how are you?"

Mary looked up distractedly from her seat in the patio cafe, "Jillian? Hi."

"I was going to stop by the apartment, but it's good to see you out and about. I didn't realize you were off of bed rest."

"Technically, I'm not, but we have a doctor's appointment this afternoon."

"Oh, so you're waiting for Danny?"

"Sort of."

Furrowing her brow at Mary's cryptic answer, Jillian took a seat at the small table. "Mary, is something wrong?"

"I just needed to think and I couldn't do it cooped up in that apartment."

"Anything I can help with?"

"I think Danny's going to ask me to marry him."

"That's wonderful, sweetie," Jillian gushed, but she immediately noticed the somber look on the other woman's face. "You don't sound excited."

"I don't know how I feel. The first time he proposed it was so unexpected and for all the wrong reasons and now…I'm just afraid he's only doing it because of the baby."

"So, things weren't working out between you before you found out you were pregnant?" Jillian knew the answer, but she wanted to hear Mary's response.

"No, things were great. We were happy just being together."

"And you're not happy anymore?"

Mary looked up at Jillian, finally realizing what the older woman was trying to do. "Okay, I get it. I sound like the girl who finally got everything she ever dreamed of, but now she doesn't want it anymore. It's not that, Jillian, I swear. I thought I was so sure of things, but after finding the ring all those fears just came flooding back. I'm justworried that when things settle down, Danny's going to change his mind."

"Mary, I know he's messed up your relationship more times than I can count, but he was really devastated after you gave him the ring back the first time. I think he understood why, but it didn't make it hurt any less. He loves you very much."

"I know he does. I've never doubted that, Jillian, and I've messed things up just as much as he has,but Idon't want him to ever feel trapped. That's why I couldn't marry him before. He wasn't thinking clearly and he was just looking for something to hold onto. I love Danny so much—I've always loved him-- but I know him, Jillian, and I knew he'd end up regretting it later."

"Things are a lot different now. You still don't think he's sure?"

"Yes, but what if…"

"Mary, we can't live our lives based on what-ifs. You should know that better than anyone. Danny loves you and he loves this baby. He got a little taste of his own medicine watching you with Jake and I think that made him realize how much he needed you. Add all that to the fact that he almost lost both of you. He's just finally figured out what's important to him. It's something that all men have to figure out in their own time—some just take longer than others."

"I guess you're right… I just don't know how to handle all these feelings I'm having. I mean, Danny's supposed to be the one who's freaked out and I should be the one convincing him that everything's going to be fine. But now…he just seemsso damn sure about everything and I'm the one who's a total basket case."

"Mary, you've been through a lot. It's only natural that you would be worried about things."

"But Danny's not," Mary protested.

"Oh, trust me. Danny's just as worried as you are, but he's trying to be the strong one right now so you can concentrate on getting better. He knows he hasn't always been there for you and he's trying to change that."

"You're probably right. He's been wonderful, but I've been too busy questioning his motives to really enjoy it. Our whole lives, Danny has been so hot and cold with me. He gives a little and then takes it back and I guess I'm just waiting for that to happen."

"Well, that's perfectly understandable, but I truly believe that Danny's a different person now than he was before. Besides, if he hurts you…I'll have Eddie break both of his legs."

Mary couldn't help but laugh at Jillian's comment. She knew deep down that she had to let the past go and concentrate on their future. Danny loved her and she trusted him with her heart—what more did they need? If she spent her whole life waiting for him to pull the rug out from under her they would never be happy.

"So, little momma, I think you need to relax and let Danny take care of you for awhile. Speaking of Danny…"

They both turned to see a frazzled looking security chief headed their way.

"Hey, I thought we were meeting upstairs," Danny tried to sound casual, but he was sweating and out of breath.

"I'm sorry. I just needed some fresh air. I meant to call you, but I forgot my phone."

"It's okay, I was just a little worried." He didn't mention that he'd almost sent the entire casino into lockdown mode the minute he'd realized she wasn't in the apartment. Mitch had to assure him repeatedly that she was out by the pool and that they'd been monitoring her constantly since she stepped off the elevator. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Mary let Danny help her up and then turned back to Jillian. "Thank you…for everything."

"Don't mention it," Jillian said with a smile. "That's what moms are for."

As the couple headed past the pool and back through the casino, Danny noticed something odd. "Hey, are those my pants?"

"Stop talking…right now," Mary ordered without looking back. Realizing he'd touched on a sore subject, Danny decided not to press any further.

---  
Later that afternoon, Danny and Mary reentered the casino like a couple of teenagers. They couldn't keep their hands off of each other and made a beeline for the elevator. Dr. Overton had given Mary a clean bill of health. The baby looked great and her pregnancy was right on track. She'd taken Mary off bed rest, but still recommended she limit her workload and take it easy as much as possible. She'd also told them they could resume sexual activity which was the reason for the grope fest currently going on in the elevator lobby.

"Danny, you have to wait until we get upstairs."

"Mmmm, I'm trying," he told her, nibbling on the spot right behind her ear that always made her squirm. The elevator doors opened and Danny ushered them both inside, thankful that they were the only ones on board. He vaguely heard someone calling his name, but he couldn't concentrate. The only thing on his mind was getting Mary upstairs and out of her clothes.

"DANNY," Mike stuck his hand between the doors to stop the car from ascending.

"Later, Mike. I'm really busy," Danny said as he attacked Mary's neck again, pulling her jacket down her shoulders so he could have better access while Mary giggled at his eagerness.

"DANNY," Mike yelled again and Mary took notice of the tone in his voice. She pushed Danny back and they both turned to face their friend.

"What?" Danny asked, frustrated.

"Mark Benton is dead."


	26. Chapter 26

26

"What kind of idiots do you have working for you, Agent Davis?"

"My agents were maintaining their distance, Mr. Deline--waiting for the Group to make contact. If we'd put him in protective custody we would have blown our only chance to make contact."

"Well, it looks like you did that anyway," Ed looked up as Danny and Mary entered the room, quietly arguing with each other, followed by Mike. He gestured for them to have a seat and went back to his conversation, putting the FBI Agent on speakerphone.

"My team has just joined me. I'm going to put you on speaker, Agent Davis. Tell us exactly what happened."

"Mr. Benton was returning to his apartment this afternoon. I had two pairs of agents on his detail. One set posted at his apartment and another that trailed him from the Montecito to his residence. While he was walking from his car to his front door a light-colored sedan approached at a high rate of speed and struck Mr. Benton. He was killed instantly and the car left the scene."

Despite Danny's protests Mary had insisted on being in this meeting. She knew him well enough to know that whatever information Danny learned from this meeting would be sugarcoated and glossed over by the time it reached her ears and she felt the need to be aware of exactly what was going on. After hearing the horrific account of Mark's last moments she was beginning to regret that decision. While Mary did harbor fear and anger towards him since he'd been one of her captors, she would never wish that fate on anyone—no matter what they had done. She reached for Danny's hand and pulled it into her lap. Grasping it tightly between both of hers, she drew on the strength that his touch always gave her. Danny sensed her discomfort and leaned over to press a soft kiss to her temple while Ed's voice chastised the veteran agent, "You had agents on the scene. Did any of them think to follow the car?"

"I'm doing you a courtesy by keeping you informed, Mr. Deline. You'd be wise not to push your luck," Agent Davis spat, obviously taking issue with Ed's tone.

"Don't threaten me, Agent Davis. I have your Director on speed dial. Now, did the agents on the scene initiate a pursuit?"

"Yes, but they lost him in traffic," Davis ground out, trying to reign in his temper. He hated having to answer to this guy, but he did have a point. Ed Deline was a legend in the CIA as well as the Bureau and the Director would have his head if he was shown anything but the utmost respect. "They called Metro for back up, but by the time the chopper got there the car had been abandoned. It had been stolen earlier that day from a local shopping mall. My techs are going over it right now with a fine-toothed comb."

"So, what now? I'm assuming you have some sort of a plan."

"Like I said, our evidence techs are going over the car now. We're also interviewing witnesses from the parking lot where Mr. Benton was killed. There were several of them who got a look at the driver."

"Sounds like these guys might have gotten a little sloppy," Danny chimed in. They must have known Mark was talking to the FBI and felt the need to get rid of him as soon as possible-- not even going to the trouble of making it look like a suicide.

"That's what we're banking on."

"Keep us informed, Agent."

"You do the same."

Ed disconnected the call and looked at his employees. Mary was still gripping Danny's hand, her gaze focused somewhere in the wood grain of the coffee table.

"You doing okay, kid?"

She looked up when Ed placed his hand on her knee, suddenly realizing that he was addressing her. Danny gently pulled his hand from her grasp so he could put his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah," Mary replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just want this to be over. I let myself relax and think that everything's going to be okay and then…"

"We're going to find these guys," Danny assured her with a squeeze.

"Yeah, but how many more people are going to die before that happens? I know Mark wasn't a saint, but he just made some bad decisions. He didn't deserve what happened to him. And who's going to be next? What if they come after one of you?"

The three men in the room exchanged nervous glances, none of them wanting to confirm that that scenario was a very real possibility. Ed finally broke the silence, deciding a change of subject was probably the best way to go. "Look, there's nothing we can do right now. We'll wait to hear from the FBI and Mike will check in with his buddies about that virus and we'll go from there. Why don't you let Danny take you out for a nice dinner--assuming that's okay. I'm sorry I forgot to even ask you. How did it go at the doctor's?" Ed looked from Mary to Danny, expectantly. When he saw the tears pooling in Mary's eyes he immediately thought the worst.

Danny noticed Ed's face fall and turned quickly to look at Mary. Realizing that his boss had misinterpreted her tears he jumped in to reassure him while at the same time rubbing his hand up and down Mary's arm in a comforting gesture.

"Everything's fine. The doctor said the baby looks great and Mary doesn't have to stay off her feet. She still needs to take it easy, but at least she doesn't have to be in bed all the time."

"Oh, good," Ed said relieved.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I'm just a little overwhelmed right now." Mary swiped nervously at her tears, ashamed that she'd let her boss see her in such a state.

"That's okay, sweetie. I'd forgotten about that part of Jillian's pregnancy. So, will you promise not to worry about this for at least the next few hours?"

Mary nodded her head. "I'll try."

"Good," Ed said as he stood up to escort everyone from his office. "You two have a good time and make sure you take her somewhere expensive, Danny. I know how cheap you can be."

"Hey, I am not cheap," Danny protested. "Mary, I'm not cheap, am I?"

Ed didn't wait to hear her answer as they exited his office—Mike heading back to the security room and Mary and Danny heading down to the casino.

"You feeling a little better?" Danny asked, concerned that the details of Mark's death had been too much for her to handle in her fragile state.

"No, but I'm trying really hard to stay calm. I'm going to take Ed's advice and try to relax—at least for tonight. Just promise me you'll keep me in the loop, Danny." She stopped and took both of his hands in hers so he could see the serious expression on her face. "I understand why you're concerned and I love you for it, but it will be more stressful for me if I have to constantly wonder if you're keeping me in the dark on things. Okay?"

"I'll try, Mary, but I just don't want you to worry about any of this. You've been through enough and you need to concentrate on your health and on the baby."

"I will," she smiled and reached up to cup his face in her hands, sliding them around to play with the short hairs she found at the base of his neck. "Now, about that dinner…I'm craving a big juicy steak."

"But you don't eat red meat."

"Well, I may not, but your baby certainly does because it's all I've been able to think about today."

"You mean when you were practically tearing my clothes off in the lobby all you were thinking about was food?"

Mary rolled her eyes. "I think it was the other way around, buddy, but you're right. I definitely had a big, juicy piece of meat on my mind at that moment, but it wasn't a steak," Mary's sexual innuendo accompanied by her mischievous wink left Danny speechless and he shivered as she ran one of her hands down his chest.

Danny swallowed the lump in his throat, still unable to speak.

"So, Mr. McCoy, the sooner you feed your child, the sooner we can get upstairs and take care of that other craving." She stood on her tiptoes to give him a lingering kiss—letting her tongue explore his mouth as her fingers gently massaged the muscles in his stomach just above his belt. Danny's eyes remained closed for a long moment after Mary ended the kiss, still enjoying the taste of her that lingered on his tongue. Taking a deep breath he finally opened his eyes to her smiling face.

"Mmmm, N9NE alright with you? I think I can get us in without a reservation."

"Let's go."

---  
"Hey, Mike. It's Arnold Levine at MIT."

Mike sat up straight in his chair as he held the phone closer to his ear. "Hey, Arnie. You got some info about that virus I sent you?"

"Actually, I've got the ultimate info."

The blood pumped loudly in Mike's ears and he held his breath as he waited for his old friend to speak. "Well? What is it?"

"I know who wrote it."


	27. Chapter 27

_Once again, I'm not a computer expert. I know nothing about viruses and codes--I'm flying by the seat of my pants and making stuff up as I go along so just go with it. Also, I'm going to give the end of this chapter a very strong R rating for sexual content so if that kind of thing offends you please just skip over it. I think it's tastefully done and not raunchy so hopefully no one's delicate sensibilities are damaged. Enjoy!_

27

"Just one night! That's all I'm asking for, Mike. You're killing me here. You know that, right?" Danny and Mary had just returned from dinner and were headed up to their apartment when his cell phone had chimed. Danny plopped down on the couch, noticing with an amused smirk that Mike seemed to have made himself comfortable behind the large desk in Danny's office.

"I'm sorry, man, but this is important. We might have a name."

"WHAT? How?" Danny leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he waited for Mike to respond.

"I told you I sent the virus to my buddy at MIT this morning."

"Yeah?"

"Well…total fluke…but he recognized some of the code in the virus. He'd seen it before--in a virus written by one of his students about five years ago."

"What does that mean exactly?"

"It's a very distinct code, Danny. My friend is almost positive that the virus you uploaded was written by the same guy. His name's Chester Ford and according to my buddy, Arnie, he's a borderline genius, but he's just a few cards short of a full deck. He was working his way through school by hacking into financial institutions, siphoning off fractions of cents and funneling them to an offshore account."

"How original," Danny rolled his eyes at the thought of someone actually thinking that would work.

"So, where is this guy now? Prison?"

"When the administration discovered that he was writing some pretty dangerous virus code they expelled him. They didn't find out about the other stuff until later and he'd covered his tracks pretty well so there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute him. I've already been running checks and he seems to have floated around to a few different software companies for a couple of years and then he just disappeared about eighteen months ago."

"How did the FBI miss this?"

"Well, it was just dumb luck that Arnie happened to recognize the virus right away, but MIT keeps information like that in their database and sends updates to all the law enforcement agencies. If the FBI had really looked hard enough they should have come across it at some point."

Danny shook his head. He couldn't believe how badly the FBI had dropped the ball on this case. "Did you talk to Ed?"

"Ed knows, but he wants us to dig a little deeper before we turn this information over to the feds."

"Yeah, I think I agree. I can't believe we've finally got a real lead. So where do we start?"

"Don't worry about it tonight, man. Ed just wanted you brought up to speed. I'll finish running a few more searches—you go be with your woman," Mike said the last part in his best caveman voice and it made Danny chuckle a bit.

"Are you sure? Am I going to get a phone call in 45 minutes saying that you've got some new information?"

"I promise I won't call unless it's an absolute emergency. I'll wait to hear from you, deal?"

"Thanks, buddy." They exchanged a handshake before Danny turned to leave, "I'll call you in the morning."

---

Mary sat cross legged on the sofa clad in a pair of boxer shorts and one of Danny's t-shirts, the cordless phone cradled between her ear and shoulder as she listened to Delinda prattle on about her problems with the new bartender at Mystique.

Mary knew the minute Danny's phone rang downstairs that it was something to do with the case. She'd kissed him on the cheek and sent him on his way—assuring him that she would wait for him upstairs. Hearing about Mark's death had really shaken her and as much as she wanted to be in the loop there was no way she could handle any more tonight. She and Danny had come to an understanding and she trusted him to let her know what was going on. Mary looked up as she heard the lock disengage and watched as Danny entered the apartment, a lecherous smile on his face.

"Okay, sweetie, well that sounds terrible," Mary spoke to Delinda in her most conciliatory tone. "I'm sure you'll work it out though. Listen, I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow at nine downstairs, okay? Bye." She hoped that was alright because she hadn't waited for her friend to answer. Mary quickly hit the off button on the phone and set it on the side table.

"What are you grinning about?" She asked, but she couldn't help but smile back. She had a pretty good idea exactly what Danny McCoy was thinking and her whole body tingled with anticipation.

"I'm free for the night," Danny told her, waggling his eyebrows.

"What did Mike say?" "Where are you going with Delinda?" They both spoke at the same time.

Mary gave him a slight nod indicating he should answer first. "We've got a lead, but he's going to work on it. I'm all yours until morning, baby."

"The phone's not going to ring again?" She asked, skeptical.

"I turned it off," Danny assured her as he joined her on the couch.

"And no one's going to come banging at the door with some urgent business you have to attend to?"

"Not if they value their life." Danny's mouth found hers and the kiss almost took her breath away.

"Mmmm, you didn't answer my question." Mary's brows knitted in confusion as she struggled to remember anything other than the feel of Danny's hand gently massaging her thigh as it inched past the hem of her shorts.

"Where are you going with Delinda?" Danny repeated.

"Oh! We're going shopping. It seems like I grew overnight and none of my clothes fit."

Now it was Danny's turn to look confused. He slid off the couch and kneeled in front of Mary, pulling her shirt up and out of the way so he could inspect her stomach. Under doctor's orders, and not wanting to torture themselves with any activities that might make the wait even more difficult, they'd kept things pretty G-rated while Mary was recuperating. Danny hadn't really taken the opportunity to look at her this closely in awhile. It probably wouldn't be noticeable to anyone else, but Danny knew her body better than anyone. Seeing the slight swell of her abdomen, he pressed his hand gently against her skin--still in awe of the fact that there was a tiny life growing inside. Mary's eyes filled with tears as Danny leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on her belly. When he finally looked up he was beaming from ear to ear and Mary couldn't help but laugh through her tears.

"God, you are so beautiful."

She blushed at his compliment. "Yeah, you won't be saying that in six months when my feet are swollen and I'm as big as a whale."

"I'm going to say it everyday for the rest of our lives so you better get used to it."

She rolled her eyes as Danny stood up and held out his hand to help Mary to her feet. Once they were standing he couldn't wait any longer. He pulled her to him and kissed her again. Mary's hands wound around his neck and he easily lifted her in his arms, carrying her carefully to their bedroom.

The moment Danny set her down in front of the bed, Mary went to work on the buttons of his shirt. Danny's hands gripped her waist as his mouth found its way to her neck, nipping at her skin while he toed off his loafers and unbuckled his belt. Once Mary disposed of his shirt she quickly focused her attention on Danny's pants which he'd been fumbling with for much too long. He chuckled at how anxious she was to remove all of the barriers between them—almost as anxious as he was.

Once he was finally naked before her, Mary couldn't help but run her fingers across the smooth muscles of his chest. Danny dragged his hands from Mary's hips up her sides, taking the t-shirt with him until he could pull it over her head. He immediately reached for the clasp of her bra, unhooked it with a practiced grace and pulled the straps down her arms.

"Is it okay?" he asked, almost breathlessly

Mary was confused for a moment before she noticed Danny's gaze fixed on her breasts. Finally understanding she tried to reassure him, "They don't hurt as much as they did before."

Danny's response was to immediately take one perfect pink nipple into his mouth--his hands kneading her supple flesh--until Mary moaned with pleasure. When he started to pull away, Mary's own hands found their way into his hair and held him tightly to her chest--wordlessly begging for just a moment more of contact to which he was more than happy to oblige.

Once she released her hold, Danny helped Mary sit on the bed and carefully removed her boxer shorts and panties—the last layers of clothing separating them. He kissed her again, his thumb softly caressing the side of her face, before gently urging her to lie back.

As he kneeled between her thighs, his right hand trailed from her neck, down her chest, past the curve of her abdomen until it came to rest just above her sex. Danny let his thumb gently explore her folds before he pulled Mary's leg up to rest over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving hers. Turning his head, he trailed hot kisses down the inside of her thigh and Mary let out a cry, somewhere between a gasp and a moan, as Danny's head dipped between her legs. It didn't take long for his ministrations to bring her to climax--her right hand blindly finding his left where it lay on the bed and entwining their finger's together.

As her breathing evened out a bit Mary scooted further back on the bed so Danny could join her. Once Danny was situated against the headboard, Mary pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses down his chest on her way to the throbbing evidence of his desire, but just as she was poised to take him in her mouth Danny stopped her.

"Mary, I really need to be inside of you right now."

"Are you sure?"

Danny was panting now with anticipation and all he could do was nod his head frantically as he struggled for breath. He wanted her desperately, but he needed her to set the pace. At this point Danny didn't trust himself not to lose complete control the moment he finally entered her. He helped Mary straddle his lap and cradled her face in his hands, pulling her closer so their mouths could join once again as she grasped him firmly and guided him to her opening.

Every time they were together was amazing, but this time Danny could feel every nerve ending in his body standing at attention as Mary slowly lowered herself until he was completely sheathed inside her warmth.

Once he felt like he could move without putting a hasty end to their coupling, Danny rested his forehead against hers. Sensing that he was ready, Mary gently began to rock her hips, her tempo increasing with each stroke. The tiny gasps and whimpers that Mary let out when he was inside of her were one of Danny's favorite things and he gently matched her downward movement by pressing his hips up in a circular motion—hitting her in just the right spot and eliciting another set of adorable sounds.

Danny's hand rested gently on Mary's neck as he brought his mouth to hers again, his tongue dueling with hers in time with the movement of their bodies. Danny knew he wasn't going to last much longer so he brought his hand to the place where their bodies were joined and gently massaged the tiny bud of nerves he knew would send Mary over the edge.

It didn't take long before Mary threw her head back, gasping in ecstasy. All the pain, all the fear, all the desire of the last few weeks suddenly bubbled to the surface and Danny nearly crushed her in his embrace as he felt her internal muscles contract around him.

Holding Danny while wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her body, Mary felt his hand fist tightly in her hair as he finally found his release. After a few seconds Danny realized what he had done and he immediately released his grip and pulled back to look at her.

"I'm sorry, baby. Did I hurt you?" He was still out of breath, but his eyes were full of concern.

"No, of course not," she assured him as she kissed the tip of his nose, "But, Danny, I gotta say…wow!"

He smiled as she went on, ""That was….I mean…it's always incredible, but this time …seriously…wow! Maybe it's because I'm pregnant, but…wow."

Danny chuckled at her inability to find another word, but he knew exactly what she meant. "I never realized how amazing it could feel to love someone as much as I love you."

If words had failed her before in describing their intimate encounter she was now officially speechless. "Wow," Mary whispered the word again, this time with tears in her eyes. "I think that's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me."

"I mean it. I love you…more than anything."

"I love you, too."


	28. Chapter 28

While Mike and Danny, along with the FBI, were still actively pursuing each and every lead, the investigation into the Masquerade Group had cooled. One by one they were working through each of Chester Ford's past employers, trying to find something that would lead them to his current whereabouts or give them any clue as to his involvement with the Group. Danny was just grateful that they had not struck again in the weeks that had passed.

Unlike their search for the men responsible for Mary's abduction, Danny and Mary's quest for a normal life together seemed to be moving full speed ahead. Danny's condo had sold fairly quickly and he and Mary had been looking for a house for the past month. They'd looked at over twenty houses, but everything they found was either too big, too small, too expensive or needed too much work. Mary had grown increasingly disheartened after each meeting with the realtor, but tonight Danny was on a mission.

While Mary slept peacefully in the next room, Danny rummaged through the neatly organized folders which contained printouts of all the houses Mary had come across in her internet searches. Grabbing the folder that contained the houses they'd already seen he pulled out the papers and made himself comfortable on the couch. One by one he reviewed each of the homes—paying special attention to the various notes Mary had made on each page. He agreed with all of her assessments, but his interest was peaked when he reached the last listing. It was one of the first houses they'd looked at and almost every inch of the page was covered in Mary's handwriting.

She'd made note of everything they liked about the house. Danny smiled when he saw the phrase "golf course frontage" circled multiple times and his name written out to the side. Mary had meticulously scribbled about everything from the Viking appliances in the kitchen to the school district. She'd also highlighted the price and drawn a tiny character face with a sad frown. Now Danny remembered why they hadn't inquired further about the property. It had been one of the homes they looked at before they'd actually sat down and figured out how much house they could afford. The price tag was quite a bit above what they could afford on their current salaries.

Danny stared at the paper. It was obvious that Mary loved this house and had spent a considerable amount of time looking at the printout. Danny had loved the house too, but he'd forgotten about it since he'd left the bulk of the decision to Mary. They'd yet to find anything else that compared to this property and if the price was the only thing keeping Mary from being happy then Danny was determined to do something about it.

He quickly picked up the phone and dialed a now familiar number hoping that she was still awake. "Hey, Karen. Can you check on a house for me--MLS#562899. Is it still on the market?"

"Danny, it's 10 o'clock at night and you want me to check a listing?"

"Yeah, if it's still on the market I want to put in an offer." That got the real estate agent's attention and he heard her busily entering numbers on her keyboard.

"Oh, I remember this one. It was out of your price range…and apparently it was out of a lot of people's price range. They've re-listed it at a lower price, but it's still higher than what you and Mary were looking for."

"That's okay. Get the paperwork ready and I'll call you in the morning. Oh, and don't tell Mary anything. I want it to be a surprise."

"You got it, Danny."

Danny quickly disconnected the call and scrolled through the numbers on his cell phone until he found the next one he needed. An irritated voice picked up on the third ring.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, Stan. It's Danny McCoy. I need you to crunch some numbers for me."

---  
The next night Mary waited patiently outside Mystique for Danny to finish his shift. He had been busy all day and she'd barely seen him since he'd rushed out of the apartment this morning. Mary finally saw him coming down the stairs into the lobby and her face lit up.

"Hey, beautiful," Danny said as he leaned down to kiss her hello—his hand coming to rest on the growing swell of her stomach.

"Hi," Mary responded before she let Danny lead her through the casino towards the main exit. "So, are you going to tell me what this big surprise is?"

"Nope, you'll just have to wait and see." Danny gave her another quick kiss as he took his keys from the kid at the valet and helped Mary into the passenger seat.

Twenty minutes later, he was helping a now-blindfolded Mary carefully step out of the car and guiding her up a cobblestone drive until he thought she was in the perfect position to view her surprise.

"Are you ready?"

"YES! Just get this stupid thing off of me," Mary sounded exasperated, but Danny could still hear the amusement in her tone.

As soon as he removed the scarf around her head, Mary had to shade her eyes from the bright Las Vegas sun which was just setting in the western sky. It took her a moment to adjust to the light, but once she did Mary still thought she must be seeing things.

"What are we doing here?"

Danny couldn't contain his excitement as he ran back to the car and produced a small metal placard with the word SOLD printed neatly in bold letters. Sliding it effortlessly into the groove at the top of the "For Sale" sign, he turned back to Mary—his face beaming. "This was the one you liked, right? 'Cause I already signed the contract—we close next week."

"Danny, what… how?" Mary stuttered, "Danny, this house was too expensive."

"I talked to Stan and we figured it all out. I sold some of the stocks my dad had so we could put more money down and get the payment where we needed it to be."

"Danny, you shouldn't have done that," Mary was still flabbergasted and she couldn't seem to take her eyes off the front of the house.

"Why not?"

"Because that's _your_ money," she argued incredulously, thinking it was the most obvious reason in the world.

"Mary," Danny stepped forward and took both her hands in his. "Everything I have is yours too. We weren't ever going to find anything else because this is supposed to be our house. I know you felt it when we looked at it the first time."

Mary nodded her head as her eyes filled with tears. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Besides, McCoy Construction is doing well and _we've_ still got the money from the sale of my dad's house. We're going to be just fine."

"So," he said, holding up a set of keys, "you want to check it out again."

"How did you get the keys already?"

"I have my ways," Danny responded slyly as he pulled Mary by the hand towards the front door. She waited for him to unlock the house, nervously wringing her hands with excitement. Just when she thought they were ready to head inside, Danny stopped her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, confused.

"Nothing, I just…before we go inside I want to ask you something."

She could tell that whatever Danny wanted to say was very important to him so she nodded her head indicating he should go on.

"I love you…you know that. And we're getting ready to start this whole new life together and I've never been happier. But there's something else I need to make the rest of our lives complete." Danny reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the tiny velvet box Mary had seen all those weeks ago. She'd been patiently waiting for him to ask and with each passing day her fear that perhaps Danny was uncertain had grown.

"I need you to be my wife."

"Oh, Danny…," Mary's eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she watched him open the box and lower himself to one knee.

"I've been waiting for the perfect moment to ask you this, but it just occurred to me that our lives are just a neverending stream of perfect moments, so…Mary Elizabeth Connell, will you marry me?"

Mary let her hand rest on the side of Danny's face before bending to take him by the elbow and pull him to his feet. She leaned up to place a soft, tender kiss to his lips before pulling back and meeting his questioning gaze, "I thought you'd never ask."

Danny smiled, carefully slipping the ring onto her finger before scooping her up and crossing the threshold into their new home.

---

"Hey, Mike," Mitch called across the security room. "There's a Dawson Reser with Software Solutions on the phone for you."

"Thanks, man," Mike jogged to his desk and picked up the phone.

"Mr. Reser. Thank you so much for returning my call."

"No problem, Mr. Cannon. I figured when you said it involved Chester that it was serious. What's he done now?"

"What makes you think he's done something?"

"Because he was nothing but a trouble maker from day one—brilliant programmer, but totally out of his mind."

"I can't go into a lot of detail, Mr. Reser, but we have reason to believe he authored a virus that was used to infect the computers here at the Montecito. Do you have any idea how we can get in contact with Mr. Ford?"

"No, I haven't heard from him since I fired him two years ago."

"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of trouble was he into?"

"Mainly, he used company resources to create his own software—a type of hacking software that is highly illegal. We also found out he was using client servers for unauthorized storage. Those two things combined with the inordinate amount of time he spent playing online games…"

"Wait, what? What kind of games?"

"He was involved in some sort of role playing game. You know, people all over the world link up and can play against each other. When we started monitoring his usage we found that he was spending hours online involved in this game."

On a hunch, Mike asked, "Do you have any idea what game it was?"

"Not off the top of my head…hold on…I pulled his file when I got your message so let me take a look." There was silence for several moments as Mike waited for Mr. Reser to thumb through Chester's personnel file.

"Here it is. The game was called Masquerade… some sort of role playing game."

Mike was struck speechless. Could it be that easy?

"Mr. Cannon? Are you still there?"

"Yeah," Mike whispered. "Is there anyway you can send me all the information you have regarding his online activities during the time he worked for you."

"I usually don't give out information in personnel files, Mr. Cannon…"

Mike opened his mouth to argue, but luckily he didn't have to.

"Look…I can't stand this guy. He was an arrogant punk who thought that rules didn't apply to him. I probably should have notified the FBI when I figured out what he was up to, but we were right in the middle of a major project and I didn't want to risk them shutting me down to investigate. If this will help you get him for whatever he's done now then it's all yours."

Mike breathed a sigh of relief and sent a silent prayer that this was the break they needed to catch these guys and stop them for good.


	29. Chapter 29

"This is ridiculous," Danny pushed his chair back and stood up to pace the office.

"No kidding," Mike responded, still glued to his computer. "Whoever wrote this thing is nuts. It's so intricate and detailed. I mean, the more complicated you can make it and still come out with the money, the more points you earn. That might explain why they made you jump through so many damn hoops when Mary was missing. It's all in here, Danny--the kidnappings, the inside man, the virus."

"Yeah, and they don't hesitate to kill anyone they perceive as a weak link in their chain of crap."

"You're not actually pouting because you got killed off, are you?"

"Yeah, sure," Danny replied sarcastically. "I'm really pissed because I'm not enough of a psychopath to stay in this game."

"Well, apparently I am so let's see how much further we can get," Mike responded as the computer chimed he had made it to the next level.

"The way you're playing these guys will probably want to recruit you."

"I'm bouncing over so many servers they'll never be able to track me down."

"But can we find _them _?" Danny pulled a chair up behind Mike so he could watch over his shoulder. "There's over two hundred registered members to this site—how are we going to narrow it down to figure out which ones are our guys?"

"O ye of little faith, my man. I've been tracing all the active members. There seem to be nine who are playing regularly. I say we start there. I've got general locations, but with a little more time, I'm sure I can pinpoint them."

"Do you think we should let the FBI know what we found?"

"It's your call. No matter what you decide, I'd like to keep working on it."

"Yeah, I agree. I've got to get to the closing, but I'll go talk to Ed first. As much as the FBI has bungled this thing I still think the more people we have working on it the better."

"Yeah, see you tonight."

---  
"Mary, honey, that dress is gorgeous," Jillian gushed as Mary twirled on the pedestal, looking at herself from all angles.

The gown was halter-style with layers of cascading chiffon forming the skirt. It looked as if it had been made just for Mary and it fit her perfectly—the empire waist discreetly disguising her growing midsection. Mary gingerly ran her hands over the silky fabric, her fingers skimming the crystals sewn into the bodice. "Maybe it's too much? It's such a small wedding I don't want to look ridiculous in such a fancy dress."

"Don't be silly, Mare. This is your wedding day. Danny wants to make sure that you feel like a princess and I think this is just the dress for the job," Delinda smiled excitedly as she stood behind Mary with yet another veil.

"I know Danny's trying really hard to make sure I have the wedding of my dreams, but the truth is the wedding doesn't matter. All that matters is that the _man _of my dreams is waiting for me at the altar."

"Well, unfortunately it's going to be Danny waiting for you so we better go ahead and make the rest of the wedding as dreamy as possible," Sam snidely responded without glancing up from her Blackberry.

Mary rolled her eyes and adjusted the latest veil Delinda had brought for her to try on.

"Don't listen to her," Delinda whispered just loud enough for Sam to hear, "she's just bitter because Casey stopped sending her flowers. He's sent her flowers once a week since they got married and last week he didn't send any."

"Oh, honey," Mary cried as she turned around and moved towards Sam. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's fine," Sam tried to sound unaffected. "The stupid flower thing had gone on way too long anyway. It's better this way."

Mary could tell that Sam was trying very hard to hold in her emotions so she tried to sound encouraging. "You know, Sam. I'm sure if you just gave Casey a tiny little sign he'd be on your doorstep in two seconds."

Sam took a deep breath, suddenly regaining her composure, "Why would I want to do that? Casey and I are over, Mary. It was a bad idea from the beginning and it's an even worse idea now."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make it hurt any less, does it?"

Sam looked into the compassionate eyes of her best friend, finally managing a weak smile before changing the subject. "So, you gonna get that dress or what? I'm starving and all this wedding stuff is giving me hives."

Mary gave her friend a warm smile and a wink before heading back towards the dressing room to change. She knew Sam needed to talk, but now was not the time. She changed back into her regular clothes and handed the dress off to Jillian so it could be steamed and ready for Saturday.

---

Danny took a seat in one of the visitor chairs as Ed finished up a call. As soon as he hung up he smiled at Danny, "So, you ready for the big day?"

"Honestly, yes."

"A week isn't much time to plan a wedding, though."

"You'd be surprised what the girls can pull together. Mary said she'd be happy just going to the courthouse, but I know her. She's always had this idea in her head about a perfect day. She'd end up regretting it somewhere down the line if we didn't at least do something. And thank you so much for offering your house, Ed."

"Don't mention it. Jillian loves to plan these types of things so you're actually doing me a favor by keeping her busy. You sure you're not doing everything too fast. I mean, closing on the house today and getting married on Saturday. Not to mention all this crap with these guys on the internet. Plus we're so busy right now, you're not even going to have time for a honeymoon, Danny."

"I know it seems like we're rushing, but Mary said we could either get married now or we'd have to wait until after the baby was born…something about not wanting to look huge in the wedding photos...so I picked this weekend. I didn't want to wait anymore. Besides, we're both still a little old fashioned. We want to be married before the baby gets here."

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out?"

"For once, I think I do."

"Good. So…talk to me about this game."

"Well, it's invitation only to join. That's what took us so long to get in. Mike finally figured which other game sites some of the players were frequenting and managed to play his way into an invitation. Mike's narrowed the field down to nine players and he's trying to trace some of the IP's and see if we can determine if any of them are the same guys who took Mary. I think we need to call the FBI back in and let them know where we are."

"Tell Mike to keep digging. Once we have some names and locations on these guys, you and Frank can pay them a visit." Danny started to protest, but Ed held up his hand to stop him, "After the wedding! I'm not stupid enough as to invoke the wrath of every female within spitting distance by sending you off right before your wedding. Now, as long as these guys don't know we're watching I don't see any reason why we can't let the Feds work on this until Monday. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Danny visibly relaxed.

"Good, now I've got a little surprise for Mary, but I wanted to run it by you first…"


	30. Chapter 30

"1-2; 1-2; 1-2-3 step; 1-2-3 step. Don't look at your feet…3 step. Glide, damnit, glide! Listen to the count…no, don't look down! Ugh! HOW CAN YOU BE SO BAD AT THIS?"

Ed stormed across the dance floor and hit stop on the CD player.

"I'm sorry," Danny whined. "I have some sort of mental block. I can't find the rhythm."

Ed sighed in frustration. He had no idea when he told Danny about his surprise for Mary that it would lead to emergency dance lessons for the groom. Danny was insistent that he be able to twirl Mary around the floor without embarrassing them both so he and his boss were currently holed up in one of the small ballrooms at the Montecito the day before the wedding. Ed was pretty sure at this point there was no way he could teach Danny anything remotely resembling dancing before tomorrow.

"Okay, look—let's try a different approach. Think of it this way…dancing is not about steps—those are just the details—it's about a connection. I can't believe I'm about to say this to you, but it's like making love. You have to relax so you can feel the music, not just listen to it. Now, close your eyes and imagine you have Mary in your arms."

Danny obeyed and Ed walked back to the CD and hit play. As the music started again he watched as Danny began to sway. Once he felt like the younger man had found the rhythm he slowly lifted his arms into the dance position. "Now," he said softly, "keep imagining Mary and then glide your feet like I taught you. If you've got moves in the bedroom then you can surely have moves on the dance floor."

That last line was all it took and just like that they were dancing. After a few successful turns around the floor, Ed rolled his eyes.

"I should have known that all it would take was a sex analogy to get you to understand the fundamentals."

They continued to glide across the floor, Danny's movements still stiff, but his rhythm much improved. As the song came to an end Ed stepped back and looked at Danny's bewildered face, "See, you did it. Now all we have to do is teach you how to lead. I'll make a dancer out of you yet."

"I really appreciate this, Ed. Mary loves to dance and it's something I've never been able to do so I really want to surprise her with this."

"Yeah, well as much as I enjoy watching you make a fool of yourself, I'd rather watch the look on your bride's face when you break out the fancy footwork. And besides, who else was going to teach you. It's not like we could get you an emergency gig on Dancing with the Stars."

Danny chuckled and again stood in dance position as he waited for Ed to join him.

"Okay, let's try this again, but this time you're in control. You've done a pretty good job of convincing Mary that you're not a pansy and you'll completely blow it if you get out there and let her lead."

"Got it."

"So, close your eyes again and imagine…well," Ed trailed off as he tried to think of the best way to phrase his instructions. "Well, just…think about what I told you earlier, but this time you're in the driver's seat…so to speak."

After another hour Danny was moving around the floor like a pro…a really bad pro, but it would pass for dancing. Danny spun Ed out and back in time to the music before completing the song with a final dip just as the door to the ballroom swung open.

"I'm sorry. Did you two want to be alone?"

It was a miracle Danny didn't drop Ed right then and there, but he carefully helped his boss back up and glared at a smirking Mike.

"I just thought ya'll might want to know that there's quite a crowd gathering in the security room. They've been watching you guys for the last couple of hours. They've got popcorn and everything."

"It's nice to know that my casino is so well protected," Ed snapped as he shot a disapproving look at one of the cameras.

"I'm just playing, Mr. D," Mike assured him, although it was only partially the truth. They didn't really have any popcorn up there.

Ed rolled his eyes and grabbed his jacket off one of the chairs. "I'll see you two knuckleheads tonight," he growled before exiting the ballroom.

"Is he pissed at me or at you?" Mike asked, a little fearful.

"Oh, definitely you. He likes me now," Danny assured him.

"Well, if I'd known all it would take to get on the boss' good side was a little hokey pokey, I would have done it years ago. You guys looked really…um…close."

"Look, Mike, listen…we were just," Danny tried to explain, but Mike cut him off.

"Say no more, my friend. I get it. Doin' a little experimenting before the big day---it's only natural."

"WHAT? I'm not… we weren't…,"

"Danny, it's okay. There's no reason for you to feel ashamed…it's okay to be curious. I've had similar thoughts myself." Mike's last statement was accompanied by a gentle caress to Danny's arm.

Realizing that his best friend was messing with him Danny shrugged off the hand and turned to collect the boom box and his coat. "Very funny, Mikey."

Mike chuckled a bit before turning to help Danny gather his things. "You ready for tonight, man?"

"Definitely!"

"And Mary's still okay with you going?"

"It's my bachelor party, Mike. Mary's not going to deny me that…besides, she doesn't have anything to worry about," Danny was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. A quick look at the display revealed the caller to be his bride and Danny grinned as he hit the "talk" button. "Hey, I was just thinking about you."

"Oooh, good thoughts I hope."

"Always. I'm on my way upstairs to change before Mike and I head out. You with Delinda?"

"Yeah. We're on our way to Ed and Jillian's. I just wanted to tell you to have fun tonight and try not to get into too much trouble."

"We'll be with Ed, sweetie. How much trouble do you think we could get into?"

"Last time you went out with Ed you ended up in jail, Danny."

"True, but this time will be different. I promise I'll be good. I'm not going to do anything to mess up tomorrow, Mary, I swear."

"I know, sweetie. I love you."

"I love you too. Have fun with the girls and I'll see you tomorrow." Danny disconnected the call and turned a menacing look towards his friend. "Mike, if you let me do anything stupid tonight…"

"Woah, Danny? I got your back, man."

"Good."

"Besides, Mary would kill me," Mike shuddered at the thought of pissing off the extremely hormonal redhead.

---  
"So, are Danny and Mike headed out for his last night of drunken debauchery?"

"Yep, so now you can spill about what you two have planned for me."

"I already told you, Mary. As soon as we get to the house we're having manis and pedis then Paolo and Ian are coming over to give us massages…isn't that enough?" Delinda inquired, trying to sound innocent.

"Oh, it's more than enough, but I know you two. You've got something else planned and I want to know what it is."

"Good things come to those who wait, my dear Mary," Sam replied just as they turned through the gates of the Deline house.

Mary narrowed her eyes at Sam before turning her glare towards Delinda.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not saying anything…except…there might be hot chocolate involved."

Sam and Delinda squealed as Mary dropped her face into her hands and groaned.

---  
_Several hours later… _

"Attention everyone," the DJ called into the microphone. "We have a very special guest with us tonight at the Spearmint Rhino. Danny is here for his bachelor party." Cheers erupted from the drunken crowd and Danny--feeling no pain after the five pitchers of beer they'd already shared--raised his glass and welcomed the applause while Mike, Ed and the rest of their group laughed at his ego.

It didn't take long for a slender hand to snake its way around Danny's neck and run down his chest. The stripper gently lowered herself into his lap before whispering seductively in his ear, "How about joining me in the Champagne Room?"

"Uhh, …," Danny stumbled a bit over his words as warning bells went off in his head.

"Come on, Danny. It's your last night as a free man," his buddy Roger said as he handed the girl a stack of rhinochips. She took a still-unsure Danny by the hand and led him to the private room in the back of the club as everyone at the table chanted his name over and over again, pounding their fists and beers on the table. Everyone except Mike who had gone to the bar with Ed for more beer. He looked almost as terrified as Danny did when he caught sight of his friend being dragged away by the half-naked woman. Yep, Mary was definitely going to kill them.

Once inside the Champagne Room, the girl helped him sit down on one of the couches and began moving her body erotically to the music as Danny glanced nervously around the room for a possible escape route. Danny had enjoyed his fair share of lap dances in the past and he was all for having a good time tonight, but a private dance was just a little out of his comfort zone on the eve of his wedding to Mary.

He sat on his hands as the girl straddled his hips and pulled her long hair away from her face, finally making eye contact with him.

"Danny? Danny McCoy?"

"Yeah?" Danny was a bit confused at first, but then he realized the girl looked familiar.

"Amy Reed--from Vegas South."

"Amy? Wow, I haven't seen you since high school." Once he knew her name, Danny immediately recognized her from his sophomore English class.

"Yeah, it's been awhile. So you're getting married?" She sat down on the couch next to him and he turned to face her so they could talk—all thoughts of the intimate dance forgotten.

"Yeah," Danny's tone was wistful as he thought about his future with Mary.

"So, you're finally doing right by Mary Connell."

"What? I mean…yes, but how did you know it was Mary?"

"I remember she was always coming in to deliver one thing or another to Mrs. Andrews during English class and you'd get this goofy, faraway look on your face. The same look you have on your face right now."

Danny chuckled. "Was I that obvious?"

"Oh, yeah," she smiled at first, but then it faltered, "Um…so...about the dance."

"You know what. Let's just not and say we did."

"Oh, good because I would feel a little awkward."

"I felt awkward even before I knew who you were so…"

"You're a good guy, Danny," she stood and reached out her hand to help him up off the couch.

"Yeah, well don't let it get out. My buddies would never let me hear the end of it."

---

_The same time across town…_

"Oh my….oh my……ooooohhhh my!" Mary's eyes were the size of saucers as she watched "Hot Chocolate" bend Sam over backwards and remove a can from his holster. He slowly filled her mouth with whip cream and then lowered a cherry to her lips with his teeth—letting her bite the fruit while he removed the stem.

"Woo hoo! Do Mary next!" Delinda shouted as Jillian drained her margarita.

"No way!" Mary said, unconsciously crossing her legs as the practically naked man turned his sights on her. "No offense, Mr. Chocolate, but I'm good."

"Come on, Mary. You've got to loosen up," Sam told her, licking the cream from her lips.

"I'm loose, I'm just not sure about this," Mary tried to argue, but Sam and Delinda continued to taunt her.

"Don't be a chicken, Mare."

"I just…," Mary stuttered as the stripper reached down and put his hand in her hair. "Hi," she smiled weakly and moved her head out of his grasp. Standing up and putting the overstuffed arm chair between her and him. "Listen, could you just go back over there," she pointed to the other side of the room before she tried to explain to her friends, "I'm sorry. I'm having fun. I really am, but I'm just not comfortable with someone who's not Danny touching me. I mean, geez, before tonight Danny was the only man I'd ever really seen naked."

"How is that possible? You lived with Jake for almost a year," Sam asked incredulously.

"Yeah, well, Jake was a lights out kind of guy. Things were very…,"

"Boring?" Jillian supplied, much to the shock of the other girls.

"Pretty much. It was probably my fault too. I just wasn't comfortable with him. I kept hoping that it would get easier, but it never did."

"You're never going to be comfortable with anyone but Danny," Sam told her.

"Well, it's a good thing she's marrying him then," Hot Chocolate finally spoke in a surprisingly effeminate voice.

All four women stared at him in shock before breaking into a fit of giggles. It took them a moment to regain their composure and then Delinda finally spoke, "Listen, honey, you're smokin' hot, but a little advice…you might want to keep the talking to a minimum."

They all tried to contain their laughter as Delinda helped the guy collect his clothes and showed him to the door, making sure to give him an extra tip for putting up with them.

Once she returned to the living room, Mary had curled back up in the arm chair and was looking a bit uncomfortable under Sam's scrutinizing gaze.

"Would you stop staring at me."

"I'm sorry…I just can't believe you've only been with two guys in your whole life. How can you be sure you're not missing out on something."

"Samantha," Jillian chastised, "Leave Mary alone. I had only been with one other man when I met Eddie. Do you think maybe I made a mistake?"

Sam looked appropriately contrite, "No, ma'am. I just mean…"

"If you're insinuating that Danny isn't good in bed then you're dead wrong, Sam." Delinda suddenly felt the need to defend her former lover, but it did not garner the intended reaction. Her mother shot her a stern look, Mary's face turned ten shades of red and Sam just rolled her eyes. "Too much information?" She asked meekly, trying to make eye contact with Mary.

"Just a little bit, sweetie."

Delinda nodded apologetically while Jillian tried to be the voice of reason. "Mary, honey, don't listen to these girls," she said with another menacing look, "It doesn't matter how Danny _compares _to other men. What matters is how he makes you feel when you're together."

"He makes me feel amazing," Mary whispered, a soft smile lighting her face.

"Then HoCho's right," Sam conceded, "it is a good thing you're marrying him tomorrow," Sam's last statement was interrupted by the chimes of the grandfather clock in the foyer. They all glanced at the time and then looked back at each other with matching grins.

"Today…you're marrying Danny _today _," Delinda corrected before the room erupted in girlish squeals and laughter.


	31. Chapter 31

**_Sorry this has taken so long. I was having some technical difficulties with and it didn't want to upload the chapters. I'll try to keep them coming more regularly so please keep reviewing. This chapter is what I like to call the sappy wedding chapter and it has another small love scene in it so if that kind of thing bothers you then please just skip over it. Also, I don't own these songs. They are both on Michael Buble's new album so any and all credit goes to him and the original writers and performers. Thanks and enjoy! _****_Emmy_**

CHAPTER 31

"You look beautiful, kid."

Mary glanced up at Ed's reflection in the full-length mirror. Her make- up and hair were finished and the girls had just headed downstairs after helping Mary into her dress. She didn't mean to run them off, but she just needed a few moments to herself. "Thank you. I still can't believe this is all happening."

"You havin' second thoughts? Because I can have a car out front in two minutes," Ed told her with a hint of humor in this tone.

"No second thoughts," Mary smiled, her eyes lighting up at Ed's teasing, but her face suddenly turned serious. "Did you make Danny the same offer?"

"Nah--didn't have to. He's ready for this, Mary. I wouldn't let either of you go through with it if I didn't truly believe that."

"Thank you."

"So, you change your mind about letting me walk you down the aisle?" Ed pushed himself off the door frame and walked further into the room.

Despite her childhood fantasies of a perfect wedding, Mary had never harbored any illusions of her father walking her down the aisle. Ed's offer had been so terribly gracious, but it was important to Mary that she take those last few steps on her own. "I really appreciate the offer, Ed--really and truly, but this is something I need to do on my own. Can you understand?"

"I do…will you at least let me escort you downstairs?"

"I'd like that."

"Good, let's go then. If I know Danny he's probably bouncing around like that little cartoon tiger waiting for this thing to start."

"You mean Tigger? I didn't take you for a Winnie the Pooh kinda guy." Mary laughed.

"I've been brushing up on my fairytales. I've got a grandbaby on the way, you know?"

"WHAT?" Mary asked in shock, "But…Delinda didn't tell me."

"Not, Delinda, sweetie," Ed corrected her, "You and Danny."

At Mary's confused look he explained, "You didn't think I was going to let this little one grow up without a grandpa to spoil him or her rotten, did you?"

"Oh," Mary's voice broke and her eyes welled up with tears.

"Don't start that now," Ed scolded, removing his handkerchief and handing it to her so she could dab at her eyes. "Jillian will have my head if I make you mess up that pretty face of yours."

"Thank you, Ed…for everything. I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't…."

"Don't," he stopped her, realizing what she was trying to say. "We're a family, Mary. I'd do anything for any one of you." His words stunned her to silence and she took a breath, trying desperately to control her inevitable tears before Ed spoke again, effectively changing the subject. "So, you ready to get married?"

"Yeah," she smiled and looped her arm through Ed's as he escorted her down the staircase and towards her future.

---

Danny fidgeted nervously with his tie before glancing once again towards the French doors. The ceremony was scheduled to start at eleven and another quick look at his watch showed Danny that it was already ten past. What was taking so long? Was Mary having second thoughts? Maybe he should go check on her. He weighed his options as he once again adjusted the cuffs of his suit. He'd almost decided to head inside to look for her when he felt Mike nudge his arm. Startled Danny looked at his friend, but immediately noticed Mike's attention was focused elsewhere. Danny followed his gaze and caught sight of the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Mary stood framed in the doorway to the side patio, a vision in white. She smiled calmly as Delinda and Sam fussed about her—making sure that every last detail of her appearance was in place as the music began. Once Delinda and Sam walked out the door and down the aisle Danny's eyes finally locked with Mary's and the rest of the world melted away. As she slowly made her way towards him Danny's patience ran out. He took the last few steps to join her, meeting her somewhere around the third row and escorting her the rest of the way to the altar. Once they faced the minister Danny noticed the amused look on the man's face.

"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly, "she was taking too long." The small group of guests erupted into laughter before quieting and letting the ceremony proceed. Following the minister's instructions, she handed her bouquet to Sam and turned to face Danny, their hands entwined.

"These hands you hold on your wedding day are the hands of your best friend, tender and sincere and vibrant with love. These are the hands that will work along side yours, as together you build your future, as together you laugh and cry, and together you share your innermost secrets and dreams. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of laughter and joy. These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when you are grieving. These are that hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness, as you promise your love and commitment to one another, all the days of your lives."

Mary knew she was crying, she'd expected as much, but she was surprised to see tears making their way down Danny's cheeks. She reached up and wiped them away with her fingertips before taking his hands firmly in hers again.

"Bless these hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love. Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace, rich in caring, and devoted in reaching for your perfection. May Danny and Mary see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter and guide."

The exchanging of rings followed the blessing with each of them reciting the traditional vows—the same vows that had been recited by couples for hundreds of years. During the ceremony they both had been so lost in each other that it wasn't until Danny heard the words husband and wife that he realized it was over. They were married and he waited for the inevitable weight of that fact to settle over him, but strangely it didn't happen. In fact, he felt quite the opposite as he leaned down and softly touched his lips to Mary's. He felt free—like the hard part was over and now they could finally start the rest of their lives. The feeling startled him and Mary noticed his breathing change as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, nervously chewing her lower lip.

"Yeah," Danny nodded, leaning back to look at her face. "I'm more than okay."

A relieved smile crossed Mary's face and she pulled Danny to her for another kiss as the minister proclaimed, "Ladies and Gentlemen—it is my great honor and privilege to present to you—FINALLY—Mr. and Mrs. Danny McCoy."

The small crowd cheered, tossing rose petals at the couple as they made their way down the aisle.

---

"So, are you going to tell me what this big surprise is?"

"Nope. I have strict instructions from Ed to keep you occupied for at least twenty minutes between the ceremony and the reception so he can get everything set up and that's what I intend to do." Danny kissed her feverishly as he led her through a door at the end of the hall and locked it behind them. Mary took note that they were in Ed's private study as Danny backed her through the room until they were stopped by Ed's desk. Danny fell to his knees, carefully lifting her dress up around her waist before helping her sit on the desk and standing up to kiss her again—now settled between her thighs.

"Umm, Danny? I don't think Ed meant for you to have your way with me on the desk in his private study," Mary protested half-heartedly.

"Well, he wasn't specific so this is how I'm choosing to distract you."

Mary gasped as Danny's hand found its way inside her panties and he moaned when he realized how wet she already was. The truth was she'd been ready for him the moment their gaze met before the ceremony and it had taken all her strength not to beg him to take her right there in front of everyone.

"Oh, God, Mary. I need you so much."

"Danny, please…," she whimpered, unable to stand a moment longer without him inside of her.

Danny was only too happy to oblige and he quickly unfastened his belt and buried himself in her warmth.

Mary sighed contentedly, wrapping her arms and legs tightly around her husband as he slowly moved in and out of her.

"That feels so good," she whispered. Danny grunted his agreement and continued to push into her, his pace increasing with each stroke. Both of them were lost in the feel of each other when a loud knock sounded at the door.

"You better not be doing anything inappropriate in there, McCoy," Ed's voice startled Danny out of his euphoric trance and he looked at Mary, his eyes as wide as saucers. Mary smiled a bit at his shock, but quickly brought him back to the moment with a slight tilt of her hips. Danny smiled mischievously and began to move again--this time at a more insistent pace.

"You've got two minutes and then I'm using my key."

"We're coming!" Danny shouted to Ed while Mary buried her face in his chest, laughing a little at their current situation. Danny acknowledged the irony of it as he moaned quietly into her ear, "Oh, God, are we coming…"

It only took a few more strokes and they were there, spiraling over the edge as they held on tightly to the other. Danny framed Mary's face and softly kissed her lips before reluctantly pulling out of her. A few moments later and the couple was presentable--Danny giving Mary one last kiss before opening the door to his boss.

"Hey, Ed. What's up?"

"What the hell have you been doing in here? Everyone's waiting."

"You told me to keep her busy so that's what I was doing."

Ed narrowed his eyes at his young protégé as Danny escorted a giggling Mary from the room, trying desperately to hide the smirk which was tugging at his lips.

"Yeah, well, I'll find out later when I check the surveillance cameras."

Mary and Danny both stopped dead in their tracks and turned to face their boss, matching looks of shock marring their features.

"Surveillance cameras?" Danny squeaked.

"Of course," now it was Ed's turn to smile as he walked past the couple and down the stairs.

---

"Ladies and Gentlemen---Michael Buble."

Danny watched Mary's face light up as Ed introduced the surprise guest. The singer took the stage and immediately began what Danny could only describe as a bad impersonation of a mime. Confused, Danny looked at his bride and noticed that she was laughing hysterically. He turned back to the stage just in time to see the guy give Mary a wink and then pull the microphone off the stand.

"Good evening, everyone. It's fabulous to be here tonight at Mary and Danny's wedding and I thank Ed for inviting me—I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I'd like to dedicate a very special song to these two and I hope that they enjoy it."

The first strains of the song _You and I _drifted across the lawn and Danny took Mary by the hand, leading her to the dance floor. The song was slow, too slow for any of the moves that Ed had taught him, but there would be time for that later. Right now he only wanted to hold his wife in his arms as he listened to the amazing words of the song.  
_  
Here we are  
On earth together  
It's you and I  
God has made us fall in love  
It's true  
I've really found  
Someone like you  
Will it stay  
The love you feel for me  
Will you say  
That you will be by my side  
To see me through  
Until my life is through  
Well in my mind  
We can conquer the world  
In love you and I  
You and I, you and I...  
I'm glad  
At least in my life  
I've found someone  
That may not be here forever  
To see me through  
But I found strength in you  
Cause in my mind  
You will stay here always  
In love you and I  
You and I, you and I  
You and I, you and I  
You and I  
In my mind  
We can conquer the world  
In love you and I  
You and I, you and I  
You and I...  
_  
As the song faded, Danny touched his lips to Mary's forehead before whispering, "I love you."

She barely had time to respond before the band picked up the tempo and Michael went into his rendition of_ Save the Last Dance_. Much to her surprise, Danny spun her away from him and then back and began to twirl her around the floor in time to the music. Mary couldn't help but laugh, "Danny, when…how? I didn't think you had it in you."

"I'd do anything for you, baby," Danny's smile matched hers as they continued to move around the floor—other guests soon joining them.  
_  
You can dance-every dance with the guy  
Who gives you the eye, let him hold you tight  
You can smile-every smile for the man  
Who held your hand' neath the candle light  
But don't forget who's takin' you home  
And in whose arms you're gonna be  
So darlin' save the last dance for me _

Oh I know that the music's fine  
Like sparklin' wine, go and have your fun  
Laugh and sing, but while we're apart  
Don't give your heart to anyone  
But don't forget who's takin' you home  
And in whose arms you're gonna be  
So darlin' save the last dance for me

Baby don't you know I love you so  
Can't you feel it when we touch  
I will never never let you go  
I love you oh so much

You can dance, go and carry on  
Till the night is gone  
And it's time to go  
If he asks if you're all alone  
Can he take you home, you must tell him no  
'Cause don't forget who's taking you home  
And in whose arms you're gonna be  
So darling, save the last dance for me

'Cause don't forget who's taking you home  
And in whose arms you're gonna be  
So darling, save the last dance for me  
Save the last dance for me  
Save the last dance for me.

With the last few beats of the song, Danny dipped Mary and pulled her back up—holding her close to him and spinning them both in a circle. Mary squealed with delight and wrapped her arms around his neck as he continued to spin them, lifting her feet off the ground.

"I LOVE YOU DANNY MCCOY," she shouted through her laughter so that everyone could hear, "I ALWAYS HAVE…AND I ALWAYS WILL."


	32. Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

Danny walked briskly across the casino floor. He and Mary had been married almost a week and life was good. They'd only had time for a short overnight trip to LA, but Danny had promised that once things died down a bit at the Montecito he would take his bride on a proper honeymoon. For the time-being they both were perfectly content to spend their free time getting settled into their new home. The movers had delivered all the furniture on Monday and little by little the newlyweds were making progress with the sea of boxes that held their belongings. Mary had done an amazing job so far of integrating their possessions and creating a cohesive style so Danny had been more than happy to turn over the decorating tasks to her. There was no doubt in his mind that his wife would create a stunning home that they could both be comfortable in.

Despite Danny's best efforts to keep her naked and in bed, Mary had left the house early that morning to get started on preparations for the grand opening of the new tower. There were quite a few celebrities coming in for the event and staffing and scheduling decisions still needed to be made. Danny winced inwardly as he again thought about Mary's to-do list he'd seen on the kitchen counter last night. He worried a bit that she was over-exerting herself, but Mary had promised to take breaks and try to stay off her feet as much as possible. He made a mental note to check in on her to make sure she was keeping that promise.

Nodding his hellos to different employees, Danny headed towards his boss' office. Mike had called earlier and was confident he knew the identity of at least two members of the Masquerade Group, but he needed to verify a few more things. Once he had all the information he needed, they agreed to meet in Ed's office to discuss their next course of action.  
---

Danny was the last one to join the meeting and Ed gave him an annoyed glare as he took a seat on the sofa next to the window.

"Alright, now that Mr. McCoy has finally graced us with his presence--whatcha got, Mike?"

"It took me awhile, but I isolated the IP's of two of the regular players--Fred Hinojosa and Eric Myers. They both work for the same software company in Denver."

"I thought you said there were hundreds of players? How do you know these are two of our guys?"

"Well, their frequency of play was a big factor in bringing them to my attention and I made some calls. Both of them just happened to be on vacation during the week Mary was abducted. Also, Hinojosa is a licensed pilot and a jet matching the description Danny gave was chartered out of Denver by him that week as well."

"What about Myers?"

"Myers was a bit trickier, but after my research this morning I'm positive he's one of our guys."

Mike reached into the folder on the table and pulled out a photograph. It was a black and white yearbook photo of a group of high school kids. "This is the Granbury High School Computer Club – 1995. And this," Mike pointed to a boy's picture he had circled with black marker, "is Eric Myers."

Ed and Danny both looked at the photo and noticed at the same time there was another photo circled. "Is this Hinojosa?" Danny asked as he picked up the photo for a closer look.

Ed broke in before Mike could answer, "You know, we can probably link Hinojosa through the plane, but just because Myers has known him since high school and they work together…it could just be a coincidence."

"That's not Hinojosa. That's Chester Ford."

"You're telling me we've got a link between Myers and Ford? Mike, that's incredible!" Danny was so excited he actually had to stop himself from jumping up and embracing his friend.

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm awesome."

They both smiled as Ed continued to stare at the photo. "Why the hell didn't the FBI find this," he grumbled to himself and then turned to look at Danny and Mike, "They've had Chester Ford's name for over a week. We've given them all the info on the game and its players… something's not right here."

Danny nodded his head in agreement. He'd been so excited about the discovery that he hadn't processed the fact that Mike had once again been able to easily access information that the FBI had seemingly missed.

"What do you think is going on, Ed?"

"I don't know. But I'm done dealing with the feds. Mike—keep digging into all three of their backgrounds. See if you can find any other links and maybe we can figure out who else is involved."

"You got it."

"And Danny, you and I are going to head to Denver this afternoon; pay these guys a visit and see what they have to say."

---  
"So what do you say we head up to my suite and you show me what the real Vegas is all about."

Mary tried not to laugh at the latest in a long line of ridiculous pick-up lines. Growing up in Vegas and working in the resort industry had brought her in contact with all kinds of people, but this guy was a piece of work. It was in her nature to be friendly, but the slimeball had been hitting on her for over ten minutes and she'd just about had enough. All she wanted to do was sit here in peace, eat her lunch and finish the schedules for the weekend, but this guy obviously could not take a hint. She'd gone from politely refusing his advances, to telling him flat out she was married to now just plain ignoring him, but nothing had worked. And now the sickening smell of his cologne—which he'd obviously bathed in—was starting to give her a headache.

Finally, she decided to pull out the big guns. "Look, you do realize I'm pregnant, right?" If nothing else worked, that little piece of information should send him running.

"Doesn't bother me. In fact, I kinda like it," Mary recoiled as he leaned in close to whisper the last part into her ear and slowly ran his finger up her bare arm. Her hand unconsciously gripped her pen and she briefly considered the consequences of stabbing the guy in the neck when he was startled out of his action by a firm jerk from behind. Mary was stunned for a moment, but smiled when she caught sight of her husband.

"Hey, watch it, buddy. I'm trying to get a little action here," the guy protested, trying to shake loose from Danny's grasp.

Mary shook her head in disbelief. There really was no end to this guy's stupidity.

"I'm sorry I can't let you do that. You see, this woman right here is my wife and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want you touching her. In fact, I'm pretty sure she asked you to leave her alone. Now, I'm going to chalk this whole incident up to the fact that you're an idiot and you've obviously had too much to drink so these nice gentlemen right here are going to escort you off the premises. If I see you back on Montecito property again I won't be so polite."

Danny handed the guy off to the security guards and watched them lead him out of the casino before turning back to Mary. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured him, rubbing her hand up and down her arm, trying to ward off the creepy chill that had settled there. "Can you believe the nerve of that guy?

Danny replaced her hand with his own and softly caressed her arm. "You should have called someone sooner, Mary. That could have gotten out of hand."

"I thought he was harmless," Mary shrugged.

"You're too trusting, baby. What if he'd slipped something in your drink? What if I hadn't walked by? What if…"

"Danny, honey, I'm okay. I was sitting here minding my own business and he sat down. I can't just immediately brush off any guy who speaks to me. Besides, I'm in the middle of the casino with hundreds of cameras watching. Everyone knows me—do you really think anyone is going to let some random guy walk out with me slung unconscious over his shoulder. Please don't worry, okay--at least not when I'm at work." Mary reached up and caressed the side of Danny's face as he touched his forehead to hers.

"I need you to stay here tonight."

"What? Why?" Mary leaned back, a questioning look on her face.

"I have to go to Denver with Ed and I want you to stay in the hotel while I'm gone."

"Why are you going to Denver?"

"The opening will be going late tonight anyway and I would just feel better…," Danny went on, trying to skirt her question, but Mary wasn't going to let it go.

"You didn't answer my question," she told him pointedly. "Why are you going to Denver?"

"Mike found a lead--two guys that we think were involved in the kidnappings. Ed and I are going to check it out."

"Danny, no! You need to let the FBI handle this." Mary knew they had been doing their own investigation into the Masquerade Group, but she assumed that once they had a lead they would turn it over to the proper authorities.

"Mary, the FBI has messed this thing up from the beginning and Ed doesn't trust them anymore. We're just going to talk to these guys, I promise." Danny softly ran his hands up and down her arms, trying to soothe her with his touch.

"I don't like this, Danny. I don't like you running off to confront these guys. They're dangerous. What if…"

"I'm going to be fine, I promise, and Ed's going to be with me. You know he won't let anything happen to either one of us, okay?"

"Promise you'll call me," she whispered, blinking back worried tears.

"I promise," Danny kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay."


	33. Chapter 33

33

"So, how's married life?"

"Incredible. I never realized how much I was missing."

"It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?"

"It's like we've fallen into this blissful domestic routine. Mary's an amazing cook, she keeps the house beautiful, she even picks up my dry cleaning for me."

Ed frowned at Danny's description, "So you basically got yourself a really hot maid?"

"NO! I didn't say that…I don't know how to explain it, Ed. The stuff she does for me…it just…it makes me feel special."

Ed still had a disapproving look on his face and Danny couldn't quite tell if the older man thought he was a Neanderthal or a sissy. He decided to cover all his bases. "I know that sounds silly, but I don't know how else to describe it. And I promise I'm not taking it for granted either. I do things for her too …and I make sure she knows how much I love her every single day."

"Yeah, well, just pick up your socks every once in awhile because I'm telling you right now the cutesy, lovey-dovey, cleaning up your crap thing gets old real fast and the next thing you know she's screaming at you in the middle of Starbucks about how you don't appreciate her and about how you think she's fat and how you hate her mother…"

It was obvious that Ed was speaking from past experience and the thought made Danny a little nervous. "Well, um, okay, I'll definitely keep all that in mind."

"Good. It's a serious thing, Danny. I mean one minute they're normal and the next minute their head starts spinning around and…and…,"

Finally, Danny caught on, "You and Jillian having problems?"

"What? No, of course not. What makes you think that?"

"Nothing. You just seem a little…worked up is all."

Ed sighed, "Jillian's been giving me grief about my health and my lifestyle. She says that because I don't take better care of myself it means I don't love her enough."

"She's got a point, Ed."

"Watch it, McCoy. I'm still your boss."

"I'm just saying…I've had this same discussion with Mary and I can see her point of view. I mean, put yourself in Jillian's shoes. If she was doing something that was dangerous how would you feel?"

"The most danger Jillian gets into is the tag sale at Neiman's."

"Be serious, Ed. You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do. So, what about you, Dr. Phil? You're out here with me and you've got a new wife and a baby on the way."

"And that thought is never far from the front of my mind, Ed," Danny interrupted. "But this is something I've got to do. I know she doesn't like it, but Mary understands. As soon as these guys are caught things will be different."

"Until the next time…," Ed said somberly, remembering how many times he'd made that promise to his family.

"No…no next time. If that means that I have to find a different line of work then that's what I'll do, but nothing is ever going to be more important to me than being with my family, Ed. Nothing."

Danny noticed Ed looking at him as he pulled into the parking lot next to the concrete, two-story building that housed the offices of Dynacomp Industries. He hoped he didn't sound like he was passing judgment on Ed's choices, but it was a decision he needed his boss to know. Relief finally flooded Danny as Ed gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before nodding his head towards the door.

They'd already discussed in detail the best course of action for dealing with these guys. For starters, Danny would go in alone and ask to speak with both of them while Ed lingered outside in case either one of them decided to make a run for it.

"Hey…Sherry," Danny glanced at her nameplate and laid on the charm, "I was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for Fred Hinojosa and Eric Myers. I'm an old friend of theirs and I wanted to stop by and say hello." As usual, the flirting produced the desired results and the young girl at the receptionist desk flushed under Danny's gaze.

"Um, sure…," she glanced down at her employee roster and then back at Danny. "Um, Eric's out today, but Fred's here. Can I have your name?" The girl batted her eyelashes, but before Danny could answer she called out to someone behind him, "Hey, Fred…this gentleman is here to see you."

Danny turned around and came face to face with Fred Hinojosa. The shocked look on the younger man's face gave him away and it was obvious that he knew exactly who Danny was. Hinojosa took off for the side door and Danny followed just a few seconds behind. He looked back at Danny as he ran full speed through the lot only to have the wind knocked out of him by a swift punch to the abdomen. He doubled over in pain as Ed hauled him up and tossed him inside the back of the rental car. It only took Danny a moment to climb in as well and push Hinojosa down into the floor board while Ed slid into the driver's seat and headed towards the mountains. 

When they reached the small state park just outside of Denver, Ed pulled the car down an abandoned mining road and turned off the engine. Danny roughly jerked the Fred from the car and handcuffed him to the side mirror.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Don't play dumb, Fred. You know exactly who we are and we just want to have a little chat."

"I know my rights. I wanna talk to a lawyer." Fred pulled violently on his restraints, still not ready to believe the fact that he had been caught.

"Now, Fred, I know you already know this, but …we're not the cops so we don't have to play by the same rules," Ed told him menacingly.

"Last time I checked assault was still against the law."

"So is kidnapping and murder," Danny spat incredulously as he delivered a swift kick to Fred's leg–sending him crashing to the ground.

"Settle down, Danny. The kid's right. We're probably going to get in trouble for this." Ed kneeled down next to Fred, "When my friends with the FBI show up they're probably going to give us a stern 'talking to'…the question is…how many fingers will you have left by the time they get here?" Ed grabbed his hand and twisted his pinkie finger until it popped, causing Hinojosa to scream out in pain. 

"OH, GOD, PLEASE. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. THEY'LL KILL ME!"

"Who?"

"Them."

"Who are the other members, Fred? Chester Ford? Eric Myers? Who else?"

"I'm so sorry," he cried. "I needed the money. I didn't know he was going to hurt them. I didn't know until it was too late."

"This sounds familiar. Doesn't it, Danny?"

"Yeah," Danny sighed. He yanked Fred by the collar until he was standing up.

"We can't help you if you don't talk to us, Fred. Tell us who else is involved…where they are," Ed spoke softly, hoping to get the answers they so desperately needed.

Fred sniffled a bit, regaining his composure. He was so tired…tired of running, tired of hiding, tired of lying. He just wanted it to be over. It had started off as a way to get money, but Chester had kept changing the rules–kept upping the stakes.

"I swear I didn't know he was killing them. We split up right after all the robberies so I didn't even know until later that people were ending up dead."

"But you knew before the job at the Montecito?" Danny grabbed him by the collar, shaking him with every ounce of anger that had built up since Mary's abduction.

"Yes," he cried. "You don't understand. Chester's crazy and he's got Paul and Eric convinced that he's God. He said if any of us went against him that he'd kill us…kill our families. I got a little boy… I couldn't take that chance."

Danny let go of him, reigning in his temper, "Paul who?"

"Paul Ford–Chester's younger brother. Not very smart, but he was the brute force of the operation."

"Where are they now?"

"I'm not sure. Chester went underground–took Paul with him. We haven't heard from them since Benton was killed."

"And Myers?"

"Virginia. He went to visit his girlfriend. I don't think he was coming back."

Convinced that they'd gotten all the information they were going to get out of Fred Hinojosa, Ed had called Agent Davis, arranging a location to meet with agents from the Denver Bureau office so that Hinojosa could be taken into federal custody.

"Would you do me a favor?" Fred asked Danny from the backseat. The three of them were currently sitting in the side lot of a Waffle House, waiting for the FBI to arrive. The dinner crowd had long since gone and the parking lot was beginning to fill with college students in need of a late-night snack.

"I really don't think I'm the right person to be doing you any favors."

"Yeah, I know, but you're a father, right?"

Danny didn't hesitate before answering in the affirmative with a nod of his head. Ed smiled to himself as he thought about how much Danny had changed in such a short period of time.

"Can you tell my little boy I did the right thing… in the end, I mean."

"You can tell him yourself, Fred." The words had barely left Danny's mouth when the quiet of the car was shattered by the sound of squealing tires and gunfire. On instinct, Danny leapt over the seat, trying desperately to protect the only person who could bring the rest of the Masquerade Group to justice. The noise was deafening as bullets pierced the interior of the car and then just as suddenly as it had begun there was nothing. No noise, no movement…nothing.

---

Mary wandered through the halls leading towards the security room. The party had long since fizzled out and the guests had either headed for other venues or retired to their suites. She had tried to do the same–even going so far as to change into her pajamas--but in only a week's time she'd discovered that falling asleep without Danny (or at least without knowing when he was going to be home) had become almost impossible.

After an hour of tossing and turning, she had changed back into jeans and a t-shirt and made her way downstairs in search of something to take her mind off of her husband. Of course, the security room was probably not the best place for that, but after learning that Mike was still on duty she decided to see if he had any new information.

"Hey, Mike. Working late?"

"Yeah," Mike replied wearily, "What are you doing? I thought the party was over a couple of hours ago."

"Can't sleep," Mary shrugged. "Any news?"

Danny and Ed had been gone since that afternoon and with the clock approaching 2:00 AM without a phone call, Mike was starting to get nervous, a fact he tried to hide from Mary.

"I'm sure they're just busy interrogating these guys. You know how those two get when they're in the zone. Then they'll have to wait for the FBI to get there and the feds never do anything in a hurry. Plus, he probably thinks you're already asleep and doesn't want to wake you. He doesn't realize that you've been sitting up half the night in his office WAITING FOR A DAMN PHONE CALL." Mike had become increasingly agitated as he spoke and Mary knew he was no longer talking about her.

"And they say pregnant women are crazy," Mary mumbled under her breath before addressing Mike, "Did anyone ever tell you…you suck at pep talks?"

"Sorry. I was just… you know what? I think we should give them a little more time before we start freaking out." 

"Okay," Mary responded slowly as if she was talking to a small child. "You sure you're okay, though. You seemed like you were…freaking out."

"Yeah…fine," Mike was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. They both smiled as he reached to pick it up. "Well, it's about time, McCoy," seeing Danny's number on the caller ID, Mike spoke into the phone without giving the person on the other end a chance to respond, "Your wife has been worried sick about you."

Mary rolled her eyes and smiled, but when she caught sight of Mike again her heart jumped into her throat. Mike's face had fallen into a shocked expression and his breathing had become noticeably labored. Mary jumped from her position on the couch and ran to his side, but before she could grab the phone Mike ended the call with a whispered, "Okay."

"Mike? MIKE, what is it?"

"Something happened, Mary. We've got to get to Denver."


	34. Chapter 34

34

Danny grabbed the porcelain sink in the tiny bathroom with both hands, drawing in deep ragged breaths as he struggled for control. He couldn't look up, couldn't bear to face the man in the mirror because it made everything real and he needed just a moment longer to pretend that he'd somehow imagined the past few hours--that the man he loved like a father was not lying near death on an operating table and that the only witness who might help bring the Masquerade Group to justice wasn't dead in the morgue. Closing his eyes and trying to fight back the bile in his throat Danny tried to focus. Searching for a thought that might calm him his mind was immediately filled with the image of his wife. Mary would be here soon and that realization gave him the smallest bit of strength he needed to pull himself together.

He glanced at his clothes lying in a heap on the floor, thankful that the ER nurse had taken pity on him and given him a pair of scrubs to change into. There was no way he could let Delinda or Jillian see the evidence of how bad it had really been. They would know soon enough–when the doctors explained Ed's injuries--but there was no need for them to be faced with the horror that soaked Danny's t-shirt and jeans. The white sink stained pink and Danny's hands shook almost uncontrollably as he desperately scrubbed the blood stains from his skin. He finally gave up when he realized that the pink and red marks still left on his skin were not from blood, but from the scouring Danny had inflicted upon himself. Stepping into the scrubs, he bagged his clothes as the FBI had requested, took one last breath and headed for the waiting room.

---

Mary, Delinda and Mike raced through the hospital corridor that led to the surgical wing of Denver Memorial Hospital. Mary felt like the last few hours had been a complete blur. After the call, she'd gone on automatic pilot–throwing things into a bag for herself and Danny, reaching Jillian in New York and then making sure that Delinda was taken care of. Even though she'd spoken to Danny herself since his first call to Mike, Mary was still having a hard time believing that the man they all thought of as invincible had been so gravely injured.

"I'm looking for my father. Where is he?" Delinda demanded breathlessly from the woman at the nurse's station, her tone bordering on hysterical.

Mary stepped forward and put her arm around her friend, speaking in a calm and even tone to the nurse, "We're looking for Ed Deline. He was brought in with a gunshot wound a few hours ago."

The woman nodded understandingly and entered the name into her computer. "Mr. Deline is still in surgery, but you can wait just down the hall to the left."

They all three headed in that direction while Mary's cell phone rang once again in her purse. She didn't even have to check the caller ID to know who it was.

"Sam."

"What's going on, Mary? You were supposed to call me."

"Sam, we just got here. Ed's still in surgery and I haven't even found Danny yet. I promise as soon as I know anything more I'll call you, okay?"

"He's been in surgery for hours, Mary. What's taking so long?"

"I don't know, sweetie. I promise I'll call you…or you could get on a flight and come here."

"No…I can't…I've got whales coming in and…," Sam's voice started to crack and Mary could tell she was about to cry, "I just can't, Mary…it's too hard."

"Okay," Mary told her quietly. "I'll call you soon."

While she'd never let anyone else see it, Ed was probably the most important person in Sam's life. The thought of losing him terrified her–so much so that she had to distance herself from everything that was happening-- and Mary was the only one who could understand that fear. She'd done the same thing when Danny's father died–staying in Hawaii with Jake instead of rushing home for the funeral. She had somehow hoped the distance would make the pain less real, but it was a decision she'd regretted everyday since.

They set off down the hall again and Mary's heart rate quickened as they drew closer and closer to the waiting room. Despite his reassurances that he was okay, Mary was desperate to see Danny. As soon as they rounded the corner she let out a sigh of relief. Danny was sitting on the opposite side of the room dressed in a pair of blue scrubs. He was hunched over–his shoulders slumped and his face hidden in his hands. Mary wanted to run to her husband, to hold him in her arms and never let go, but Delinda got there first.

"Danny," she sobbed and he was instantly on his feet, encircling her in a comforting embrace. Mike put his arm around Mary's shoulders as they watched Delinda break down. It was a side of her they'd never seen, but one they could more than understand.

Danny finally met Mary's gaze and she gasped. He looked…haunted. She'd never seen him look so lost and her heart broke at the sight. She knew he was trying to be strong–for Delinda--but his eyes told Mary that he needed her desperately. Mary didn't hesitate as she stepped forward and ran her hand across Danny's cheek and around the back of his neck, gently pulling his face down to hers so she could press her lips to his. Tears finally fell from Danny's eyes as they shared a soft kiss–a sobbing Delinda still in his arms.

Once Delinda's crying subsided, Danny and Mary helped her to sit, each of them on either side of her while Mike pulled another chair close and sat opposite the trio.

"What happened?"

"We had Fred Hinojosa and were waiting for the FBI to take him into custody. A car came out of nowhere and just started shooting. Fred was hit in the head. There wasn't much they could do. But Ed…Ed was hit in the chest."

Danny took several deep breaths before continuing and Mary ran her hand across his arm where it lay on the back of Delinda's chair.

"He wasn't conscious. They said the bullet had collapsed a lung and nicked his aorta so they took him straight into surgery. They said it could be awhile, but they've been giving me updates about every hour. They…," Danny took a deep breath, trying to find the words to tell Delinda how serious Ed's condition was. He had hoped the doctor's would be here to do it, but she needed to know. "They had to put him on a bypass machine while they repaired his heart. So far, he's hanging in there, but he's lost a lot of blood and they just don't know."

Delinda closed her eyes and shook her head, not wanting to believe what Danny was telling her. She stood up abruptly and headed for the door, "I have to call my mother."

"Delinda, sweetie, your mom's on a plane. You're not going to be able to reach her," Mary called after her.

"WELL I HAVE TO TRY!" she snapped, but then suddenly lowered her voice to almost a whisper, "I have to try, Mary. What if….what if something happens and she's not here. What if they want me to…decide something, or…or…I just need to talk to her."

She was crying again and before Mary could reach her Mike decided it was his turn to console their friend. He walked to Delinda and held her to his chest while she released another round of tears.

"Come on, Dee. It's a chartered flight so maybe we can figure out a way to get a call through to the plane." Mike led her out of the room, knowing that Mary and Danny probably needed at least a few minutes alone.

They both stared at the empty doorway for a moment before Mary turned and walked back to her husband. She stood in front of him and he immediately rested his head on the slight swell of her stomach while her fingers ran soothingly through his hair. Danny wound his arms around her middle, holding her closer, and Mary felt him release a deep breath before he spoke, his voice husky from grief and exhaustion, "This is all my fault, Mary. I should never have let him go. And Hinojosa…I couldn't protect him either."

Danny's guilt was overwhelming, but Mary tried her best to assuage it. She continued to stroke his hair as she spoke softly, "Danny, please don't do this. This wasn't your fault. There was no way you could have known this was going to happen and Ed wouldn't have let you keep him from being there."

"I know, but," Danny pulled back to look into her face.

"No 'buts'," Mary said firmly, framing her husband's face in her hands, "Ed knew what he was getting into–probably even more than you did and we just have to trust that God will see him through this. He's strong, Danny, and he's not going to leave this world without one hell of a fight." Danny closed his eyes for a moment, standing up so that he could lean his forehead against hers. Her hair had fallen from her hastily drawn up ponytail and Danny gently pushed the tendrils away from her face.

"And, Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"If Ed was here right now he would kick your ass for thinking that you could tell him what to do or where to go."

Danny smiled at Mary's words. She was right–she was always right–and Danny tried to push his guilt aside. Mary had allowed him the time he needed to feel sorry for himself, but now it was time to focus on Ed and on getting everyone through this crisis.

"Jillian should be here in about an hour," Mike's voice interrupted their quiet moment.

"Where's Delinda?" Mary asked, noticing the blonde had not returned with him.

"She just went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face. I got coffee," Mike said as he handed Danny a cup from the cardboard tray, "And this for you, little momma." Mary smiled at Mike's latest term of endearment as he handed her a bottle of orange juice and a straw before taking a seat.

When Delinda finally reentered the room, Mary looked at her with concern, "You feelin' any better?"

"No. I just wish they'd let us know something," Delinda took her cup of coffee and curled up in the chair next to Mike while Danny and Mary sat down on the small loveseat.

"The last time they came in they said it should only be another hour or two," Danny informed them all as he put his arm around Mary and allowed her to curl up against his chest, her head resting over his heart.

"Where's Sam? I thought she'd be with you," Danny asked, just having realized that the casino host was not among them.

"She had better things to do," Delinda spat disgustedly.

Before Danny could question any further, Mary leaned up and whispered in his ear, "We'll talk about it later."

Danny's brow creased in confusion as he tried to figure out what could possibly keep Sam from being here, but when he turned his questioning gaze to Mike, his friend just shrugged and looked away. The awkward silence was suddenly broken by a man in surgical scrubs at the door.

"Deline family?"

They all stared silently for a split second wondering how the next few minutes might change their lives, but Danny was the first to nod his head. The doctor indicated they should all stay seated and he pulled up a chair to join their small circle.

"I'm Dr. Williams–Chief of Surgery here at the hospital. I performed Mr. Deline's surgery."

"I'm Delinda Deline," Delinda immediately interrupted, "Is my father going to be alright?"

"We were able to repair the damage done to his lung and aortic valve. The next twenty-four hours are going to be critical, but I'm very optimistic. He's definitely a fighter."

Danny smiled as the doctor echoed Mary's earlier sentiments.

"When can we see him?" Mike asked.

"He'll be in recovery for the next several hours and after that we'll move him to ICU where his visitors will be restricted to one at a time. I'll have the nurse come get you after we get him settled."

Once the doctor left, the entire group let out a collective sigh of relief. The next twenty-four hours might be critical, but Ed had already pulled himself through the toughest part and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he'd make it through the rest.

Suddenly, they were startled by the ringing of Delinda's cell phone. As she reached for it Mary's chimed in her bag and Danny's started vibrating across the small table in the waiting room.

_"Mom? Are you almost here?" _

"Hey, Sam. Yeah, we've got some news…"

"Agent Davis? I was wondering how long it would take you to call."

Mike stared around the room at his three friends engaged in their various conversations. Suddenly feeling very left out, he pulled his own phone from his pocket and hit one on the speed dial.

_"Hey, Mitch. Just checking in…"_


	35. Chapter 35

-35-

"_Thanks. I know if anyone can convince her, it's you. Call me if you need anything."_

Mike listened to the end of Mary's phone call. They'd been waiting most of the day for Ed to fully regain consciousness. He'd been in and out, but not enough to acknowledge anyone's presence. It was almost four in the afternoon when Mary had excused herself--heading outside and down the long glass walkway, presumably so she could get better cell reception. Since Danny had drifted off to sleep in one of the many recliners outside the ICU, Mike decided to check on her.

"Hey," he said quietly, not wanting to startle her. "Was that Casey?"

"Yeah, I'm hoping he can talk some sense into her. They've been spending a lot of time together recently. She really needs to be here, Mike."

"What's going on with her?"

"She's just scared. You know Sam–she acts like she's tough as nails, but the thought of losing Ed…it terrifies her and she's just having trouble handling it."

"We're all scared, but we're here."

"It's hard to explain, Mike. Sam knows if she's here everyone's going to find out that she's not really that strong. She thinks if she stays away that everything will just fix itself and she won't have to deal with it and then she won't have to let anyone down."

Mike stared at his friend, concerned. At some point during her long explanation Mary had started to cry and he wondered if the toll of the last eighteen hours had finally caught up with her or if it was something else. "She told you all that?" 

"No, but… I know exactly how she feels."

Mike slowly nodded his head--deciding not to pry even though he knew now there was something bothering Mary that had nothing to do with Sam. He could tell she was teetering on some sort of emotional edge and he didn't want to be the one to give her the final push. Mary had been amazing through this entire ordeal–making sure every one of them was taken care of, but Mike suddenly realized that no one had been taking care of Mary. Much like himself, Danny was so emotionally and physically drained that he could barely string a coherent sentence together and he seemed to be relying on Mary just to help him put one foot in front of the other while Delinda wasn't much better and Jillian had yet to leave Ed's bedside.

"You should try to get some rest, you know. We've all been dozing on and off, but I don't think I've seen you close your eyes once. I could run across to the Marriott and get a couple of rooms." He put his arm around her shoulders and steered her back towards the waiting room.

"No. Danny needs to be here with Ed and I…I need to be with Danny–in case he needs me."

"Mary, you're exhausted."

"We all are, Mike," she snapped back, not in the mood for his coddling.

"Yeah, but you're the only one sleeping for two." Mike could tell that she wasn't going to change her mind so he tried a different approach, "Look, if I can convince Danny to go with you…"

"NO. I won't let you use me to make him feel guilty, Mike. If he's not here and something happens he'll never forgive himself…he'll never forgive me," she had raised her voice to argue, but the last part came out as barely a whisper.

Mike had been unprepared for the sudden flare of Mary's temper and he'd stopped their progress to let her finish. If the anger in her voice had worried him, the desperate, almost wild look in her eyes had him terrified. Mike put both his hands on her shoulders–trying to soothe her frazzled nerves, but she shrugged off his comfort and fixed him with a defiant glare, "Danny needs to be here and we're staying until he thinks it's okay to go."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry," Mike put both hands up in a surrendering pose, "I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying to help."

"Well, I don't need anyone's help. You shouldn't be thinking about me right now anyway. We need to concentrate on getting everyone through this." 

Mary stormed away–heading back towards the waiting room–as Mike followed behind, a bewildered expression settled on his face. 

They waited in an awkward silence as the nurse buzzed them back into the ICU Family Room. There were a few people scattered about and the television was playing softly as Mary headed straight for the back corner of the room where she'd left Danny earlier. She stopped a few feet away, stunned as she took in the scene before her. Delinda had returned at some point and had settled into the recliner next to Danny. His arm was draped across her as she held his hand tightly around her body, their joined hands resting under her chin. Mary's stomach churned and she turned hastily towards the ladies room, practically pushing Mike out of her way.

---

_Several hours later…_

"Hey, Mrs. D. How ya holdin' up?"

"I'm okay, Mike. The doctors say he's doing as well as can be expected and now that he's awake I feel a lot better. I mean, he knows who I am–knows what day it is and he remembers what he was doing yesterday so the doctor's say that's an excellent sign."

"Yeah, it won't be too long before he's up and shouting orders at the poor nurses."

"You're right about that," Jillian chuckled. "So, you look like you've got something on your mind."

Mike sighed, glancing towards the door. He figured he had a very small window of opportunity to enlist Jillian's help. It wouldn't be long before Danny and Mary returned from visiting with Ed.

"I'm worried about Mary. She's exhausted almost to the point of delirium, I think. I was going to say something to Danny, but she freaked. She knows Danny wants to be here and she doesn't want him to feel like he can't do that because he has to take care of her, but she refuses to go without him. She's so worried that I'm going to make him feel guilty that she hasn't left his side for the last two hours. Of course, it might also have something to do with him snuggling with Delinda."

"Wait, what?"

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing, but it really freaked Mary out." By the time Mary had returned from the restroom Danny had woken and discreetly removed his arm from Delinda's grasp and Mary had given him no indication that she'd witnessed the display.

"I'm confused now. What happened with Danny and Delinda?"

"Well, when Mary and I came back into the waiting room earlier they were all snuggled up together in the chairs. Mary made the excuse that they were both just exhausted and it's true–I don't even think Danny realized what was going on, but I could tell it really bothered her."

Jillian took a deep breath, considering everything Mike had just told her.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. D. I shouldn't be worrying you with all of this."

"No, Mike. I'm absolutely glad that you told me. I know everyone's tired and that this past day has been the day from hell, but that is no excuse for Danny to be forgetting that he has a wife with a baby on the way, it's no excuse for Mary to forget that she needs to take care of herself and that is absolutely no excuse for my daughter to be cuddling up with a married man. I know they're friends, but it's inappropriate and I don't blame Mary for being upset. Everyone's emotions are heightened right now–especially Mary's since her hormones are already out of whack. I'll talk to Danny and if Mary wants to be mad at someone she can be mad at me."

"Thanks, Mrs. D," Mike sighed with relief.

"You're a good friend, Michael."

"Yeah, well…," Mike blushed at Jillian's compliment just as Danny and Mary returned, their hands entwined. 

"How was he?" Mike asked.

"Groggy," Danny replied, "but he's definitely still got his spunk. Delinda's in there now, but if you want to go back the nurse said he could have two visitors at a time as long as we kept the visits short."

"Thanks, man," Mike jumped up, waiting a moment for the nurse to buzz him in before disappearing through the heavy door.

"He seems so…frail," Danny said softly.

"He's been through a lot, Danny, but I know my husband and he'll bounce back."

"Yeah, I hope so."

Jillian studied Mary closely. The younger woman had yet to speak and Jillian could see instantly what Mike was talking about. Her eyes were glassy and dazed and the hand that rested in her lap shook almost imperceptibly. Her other hand was busy rubbing gentle circles on Danny's back. To the casual observer she was the supportive spouse, dutifully seeing to her husband's every need in this time of turmoil, but to Jillian she looked like a woman on the brink of insanity.

"Mary, honey? Would you mind getting me some coffee?" Jillian hated to ask her to do anything, but she needed a few moments with Danny.

"Of course, Jillian. Danny, do you need anything?"

"No, baby, I'm okay." Danny assured her, kissing her hand as she walked away.

"Danny, the two of you need to get some rest." 

Danny opened his mouth to argue, but Jillian stopped him. "You're both so exhausted you can't think straight. If you could you'd realize that your pregnant wife has probably not eaten a real meal or slept in almost 36 hours."

Danny looked up suddenly, realizing that Jillian was right.

"Nothing's going to happen, Danny. I'm going to stay here tonight, but I want you to go across the street to the hotel and get some rooms. I'll send Delinda and Mike along as soon as they come out. You're all useless to me if you're walking around like zombies and the last thing we need is for Mary to end up in the bed next to Ed's because she's exhausted and dehydrated."

"Okay."

Mary walked back into the room, handing Jillian her coffee, but before she could sit down, Danny stood and wrapped his arms around her. 

"What's wrong?" Mary asked nervously.

"Nothing," Danny assured his wife, tilting her head back so he could look in her eyes. He saw it now–the exhaustion in her face, the almost sickening pallor of her skin. He'd been so blinded by his own misery today that he had neglected the most important thing. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to go get everyone rooms across the street so we can sleep in a real bed. Does that sound okay?"

"Are you sure? If you want to stay…"

"No. We'll come back first thing in the morning, but I think we both need a meal and a good night's sleep, don't you?"

Mary smiled weakly, "Yeah."


	36. Chapter 36

-36-

Danny leaned against the wall just outside the Great Divide Bar & Grille at the Denver Marriott. After checking in, he'd left Mary in the room and gone in search of food, very grateful that he didn't have to go too far. Letting his eyes drift closed for a moment he tried to relax, but his body jerked suddenly--a last ditch effort to ward off the sleep he so desperately needed.

"Hey, man," Danny heard Mike's voice across the lobby. He turned to see his friend walking towards him with what he hoped was Delinda's pink and yellow overnight bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey," Danny greeted wearily.

"Where's Mary?"

"Upstairs in the room. I'm just waiting for our food."

"She okay?"

"She's just tired," Danny replied automatically until his brain finally caught up and he realized that Mike's question had a more serious than casual tone. "Why? Do you know something that I don't?"

Mike hesitated a moment. He had promised Mary that he wouldn't guilt Danny into getting some rest, but seeing as how they were already here in the hotel, maybe he could give the man a few hints that his wife was on the verge of a major nutty. Unfortunately, he'd just opened his mouth to speak when Delinda made her appearance. She barely acknowledged Mike's presence as she wrapped her arms around Danny and leaned her head against his shoulder. Recognizing his friend's need for comfort, Danny immediately put his arm around her and she snuggled deeper into his embrace.

"I can't believe this is happening. He looked so…he just doesn't look like himself, Danny."

"He'll get better, Delinda. The doctors are already impressed with his progress."

"Yeah…I know you're right. I'm just not used to seeing him like this."

Danny rubbed her arm a bit before giving her a kiss on the head and releasing his hold. "Mike got you a room so why don't you try and get some rest. We'll all meet down here in the morning to head back over."

"Okay," Delinda replied. Taking her key and bag from Mike, she leaned up to give Danny one last hug–kissing his cheek before heading towards the elevator.

Mike had observed the scene with a bit of trepidation. Watching Delinda interact with Danny had definitely made him uncomfortable–especially since he'd just overheard Mrs. D's lecture about her behavior--and if he'd reacted that way he could only imagine what Mary would have thought. The words, laced with accusation, were out of his mouth before he could stop them, "What's going on with you and Delinda?"

"What?" Danny asked, shocked. "Nothing! Why the hell would you even ask me something like that?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just getting a weird vibe."

"Well get over it! There's nothing going on. I'll admit--Delinda's being a little clingy, but she's just had a major scare."

The fatigue had apparently affected Mike as well and he'd lost his patience with his best friend. "You don't think it's strange that she's only _clinging_ to you? Maybe you should let _me_ take care of Delinda and you worry about your wife."

"What the hell, Mike? What's going on?"

"I know today has been hard, but you didn't see her earlier, Danny. It scared the crap out of me."

"Delinda?"

"No… Mary."

"What are you talking about? What happened?" Danny's alarm for Mary's well-being was increasing and he'd unconsciously started inching his way toward the elevator.

"Nothing happened. At least I don't think it did, but she was just so strung out and exhausted and she was refusing to leave you. She practically bit my head off when I mentioned talking to you about it. I was just really worried. I've never seen her look like that, Danny, and I think there may be more to it than what's going on with Ed."

Danny sighed heavily, dropping his gaze to the floor and shaking his head. "She was fine before I left yesterday…"

"And she was fine when I was talking to her before we got the call, but there was something in her voice earlier when she was talking about Sam…about being afraid and feeling guilty…I just got the impression that at some point she wasn't talking about Sam anymore."

"What could she possibly have to feel guilty about? She's been my rock…," Danny argued, but Mike cut him off.

"I don't know, man. Women are still a mystery to me," Mike gave him a slight smirk, trying to diffuse the now-heated conversation and get them back on familiar ground. "Didn't you get some sort of manual when you got married?"

Danny chuckled a bit, "My copy must have gotten lost in the mail… and you know a lot more than you give yourself credit for, Mikey."

"Yeah, well…listen, I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything…I just…with Delinda… I just wouldn't want Mary to get the wrong idea. She's about the most caring, understanding person in the world–she'd walk across broken glass if it would make Delinda feel better right now, but everyone has their limit and I think Mary got pretty close to hers today."

Danny nodded in understanding. "I appreciate you looking out for her today. I just haven't had my head on straight."

Their conversation was interrupted as a waiter brought Danny two white take-out bags. "Okay, I'm going to head up. Let's meet back here at 7:30 in the morning. I've got a meeting with the FBI tomorrow that I'm not looking forward to and I'm hoping Ed will be awake enough for me to talk to him first."

"What are you going to tell them?"

"I don't know, but you and I both know that if that shooter wanted to get to us they missed a perfect opportunity when we were out in the middle of nowhere with Hinojosa. There's only one reason why they would wait until we were in that parking lot."

"Because they didn't know where you were until you called the FBI and set up the meeting."

"Exactly."

"Damn, Danny. This is bad."

"Colossally bad," Danny agreed.

"7:30?" Mike confirmed.

"Yeah, see ya then," Danny and Mike shook hands before heading in opposite directions, Mike to grab a bite and Danny back to his room.

---

Danny had only been gone for twenty minutes, but in that short period of time Mary had managed to unpack their bag, take a quick shower and change into her favorite sleeping attire--Danny's _Montecito Lancers_ t-shirt. While the warm shower had been helpful in relaxing her aching body, it had done little to alleviate her overall feeling of anxiety. She wasn't sure she'd be able to eat whatever Danny brought back, but she knew she had to try. She'd been neglecting her body–and by extension her baby–all day long and that was definitely going to stop. Mary wasn't a doctor, but she was pretty sure two bags of pretzels and three bottles of juice did not make up a healthy diet–especially for a pregnant woman. If she wasn't careful, Dr. O. would have her back on bed rest and that was something Mary desperately wanted to avoid.

As she cleared off the small table in the corner of the room, her thoughts turned to Danny. He seemed to be doing okay and she was definitely glad he'd decided to get some rest, but she was still worried about the emotional toll this might be taking on him. He thought of Ed as a father–especially since Larry was gone–and Mary knew seeing him in such a fragile state was extremely traumatic for her husband. The sound of the door opening drew her from her thoughts.

"Hey," Danny said softly, balancing their dinner in one hand as he stepped inside. Mary crossed the room and took the bags from him, returning to the table to lay out the various containers and utensils.

"Do you mind if I jump in the shower?" Danny asked as he moved to stand behind her, softly kissing the spot where her neck met her shoulder. "I think I passed gross about ten hours ago and moved into the disgusting category."

"You are pretty smelly," Mary commented with a smile, turning to face him and placing a light kiss on his lips. It still amazed her how much Danny's presence could calm her. An hour ago, she'd been exhausted almost to the point of collapse–her nerves frazzled and her worry for Danny at a fever pitch, but now–after just a few short minutes alone with each other-- the rest of the world shut away-- Mary felt like she could breathe again. Here in this room she could focus completely on his needs and give him her unquestioning devotion and support–the two things she'd failed to provide last year when Larry had died. 

"Hey," Danny questioned, his brow creased with concern, "you still with me? You drifted off for a second."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I think the day's just catching up with me." Mary turned back to their dinner, hoping Danny didn't see the tears forming in her eyes. "Your shaving kit is in the bathroom and I laid out some shorts for you to sleep in."

"Thank you," Danny placed another feather-soft kiss on her lips. "Do you know how much I love you? How much I need you? I don't think I could have made it through this without you. I don't know how I ever made it through anything without you."

Surprisingly, Mary stiffened a bit in his arms-- not quite the response Danny was expecting and he tilted her face so he could look into her eyes–now brimming with tears.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry," Mary's voice broke as she tried not to cry, "….so sorry, Danny."

"For what? You've been amazing."

The sincere look in Danny's eyes was Mary's undoing. She didn't deserve his gratitude–not after what she'd done. Not after she'd abandoned him when he needed her the most. "I should have been there…I should have been with you the minute I heard…I just…I couldn't. I was so afraid that I wouldn't be what you needed."

"Mary, honey, what are you talking about? You've been here the whole time."

"Not now. Then…when your father died."

"Sweetie, you were a thousand miles away," Danny tried to protest, heartbroken that Mary had been carrying this guilt around for so long.

"NO! I could have made it back, Danny. I could have…I made up all these stupid excuses," she told him in between sobs.

"Mary, baby, stop!" Danny put his arm around her shoulders, using his other hand to hold her head so he could touch his forehead to hers. "You're not the only one who made mistakes back then. I wanted you with me so bad…" Danny was cut off as Mary tried to pull away from him--devastated all over again at his admission, but he refused to let her go. "Sshhhh, let me finish…I could have called you, Mary–right away–I _should_ have called you, but I just couldn't. I knew that if you came back I would grab onto you and never let go and that wouldn't have been fair–not to either of us. Baby, I'm thankful everyday that we found each other again, but if we'd let sorrow and grief bring us back together we might not be where we are right now."

Finally letting go of the shame she'd held onto for so long, Mary wound her arms around Danny's neck-- burying her head in his chest while his hand ran soothingly through her hair. Whispered words of love, regret and hope filled the room as Danny finally picked Mary up and set her down on the bed. He held her until he knew she'd completely quieted, leaning back to look at her face.

"How'd you get so good at saying the right thing?" Mary asked through a watery smile.

"Lots and lots of trial and error," Danny grinned in return, before his expression turned serious again. "No more feeling guilty about the past. We need to focus on our future," Danny laid his hand against her growing middle, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth across the fabric of her shirt. "Agreed?"

Mary smiled again, laying her hand on top of Danny's, "Agreed."


	37. Chapter 37

Here's a couple more chapters. Thank you to those who have left reviews. They really make my day. This story has taken on a life of it's own from what I had originally intended, but it's kept me going through the long Danny/Mary drought on Las Vegas. I know it doesn't look promising right now, but I'm not giving up hope. I refuse to believe thatthe writers have decided to completely drop a relationship that they've beenthrowingat us for three years--the longing looks, the jealousy--it can't all be for nothing, right? Okay, enough rambling...

CHAPTER 37

"So, what do we know?" Ed's voice was raspy, still raw from being intubated for so long, but his condition had been upgraded to fair that morning and he'd been moved into a private room.

"I've run every check imaginable on Davis and O'Dell. They're clean. Good family guys, commendations in their files, nothing in their background that would suggest they might be involved in this." Danny was sitting in a small chair close to the bed while Mike and Casey hovered in the corner. When the small group of friends arrived back at the hospital early that morning, everyone but Mary had been surprised to see Casey sitting in the waiting room, a sleeping Sam curled against his side

"They may not know they're involved, but we still need to keep this quiet while we find out," Ed responded, his voice gaining strength with each spoken word.

"You thinkin' some kind of bug? Maybe like the one in Danny's phone?" Ed nodded his head in answer to Mike's question.

"So we need to figure out a way to check their phones without letting them know," Casey supplied, trying to be helpful.

"Yeah, because getting an FBI agent to just hand over his cell phone will be so easy," Danny rolled his eyes at the absurdity of the statement. He was still a little peeved at the display he'd witnessed earlier between Casey and his wife. After she'd greeted Sam she'd wrapped Casey in a tight embrace—whispering something in his ear that made both of them smile. He knew they'd been working together a lot but it still didn't prepare him for seeing Mary go so easily into the other man's arms. It definitely made him sympathize with his wife—even if she hadn't said anything, watching him comfort Delinda must have been unnerving. He knew there was nothing going on—just like he was sure Mary knew the same about he and Delinda, but Danny still couldn't suppress his jealousy at their comfortable relationship.

"I'm sure you'll think of something, smartass," Ed bit back.

The room fell into an awkward silent for a few moments before an idea suddenly occurred to Danny. "I think I know exactly how to get to those phones."

"How?"

"We'll use our secret weapon."

The other men stared at him confused, but Danny just smiled. Agents Davis and O'Dell were about to learn a lesson Danny had come to terms with long ago—there was absolutely no way to say "no" to Mary Connell McCoy.

---

Mary sat in the waiting room, Delinda and Sam on either side of her. After the guys had left to talk to Ed and Jillian had headed back to the hotel for some sleep, Mary had tried to mend things between the girls—carefully explaining Sam's fears to Delinda and Delinda's disappointment to Sam. While both of them claimed to understand, they still had yet to speak and Mary was trying desperately to think of something that would break the ice--getting Delinda past her hurt and Sam past her shame at not being there for her friend.

"So…Casey?"

"We're just friends," Sam was quick to reply.

Delinda snorted somewhat unattractively at Sam's response and Mary smiled inwardly. This was exactly what they needed—a little bit of girl talk.

"What?" Sam snapped, defensively.

"It's more than that and you know it," Delinda spat back.

"Fine," Sam responded.

"Fine, what?"

"Fine, it's more than that," Mary and Delinda both stared at their friend, shocked that she had given in so quickly and even moreso that she'd actually admitted to something with Casey.

"Really?" Delinda asked quietly, genuinely excited for her friend.

"Yeah," Sam smiled. "I think we might be back together."

All three girls squealed quietly in unison at Sam's revelation—Mary turning to embrace her while Delinda jumped up and moved to the other side.

"This will be the one and only girly moment I will indulge in and if either of you tell anyone I'll totally deny it." Sam was trying to be serious, but her smile just wouldn't go away. No one had ever made her feel the way she felt when she was with Casey. She didn't harbor any illusions about happily ever after—stuff like that only happened to Cinderella and Mary Connell--so for now she was content to just take it one day at a time.

The girls continued talking—some about Casey, but mostly about Ed and how different things were going to be while he was recuperating. Mary was sure Danny would be working extra hard to pick up the slack and she tried not to let that worry her. She had faith that Danny would figure out a way to balance work and home and she refused to play the role of the neglected wife.

Mary was startled out of her thoughts by a funny fluttering deep in her stomach. She squirmed a bit in her seat as she felt it again and suddenly she knew for sure what it was. She'd read about it in her books, but she wasn't prepared for the sensation. Her eyes immediately filled with tears and a hand went to cover the gasp she was sure was about to escape from her lips.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" Sam looked at her worried.

"No…no…I just…."

"Mary, are you sure you're okay?"

"It's nothing…," Mary didn't mean to worry her friends, but it was important to her that the first person she shared this with was Danny. "I'm just going to take a walk. If Danny comes out tell him I'll be back."

"You sure you're alright?"

"I promise everything is perfectly fine."

---

Danny had been looking for Mary for almost half an hour when it suddenly occurred to him where she might be. He'd already walked around the entire hospital grounds and he had one last stop on his list before he really started to panic. Rounding the corner and passing through yet another set of double doors, he finally saw her. His breath hitched as he studied her profile. She was beautiful—peering through the large glass window outside the nursery--her features peaceful as a hint of a smile played at the corners of her mouth.

"Hey," he said quietly, trying not to startle her.

"Hey yourself," she replied with a gentle smile, her eyes never leaving the sleeping infants.

"I thought I might find you up here." Danny stood behind her, wrapping both arms around her waist and settling his chin on her shoulder.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Mary whispered, leaning back into Danny's embrace as they both stared through the nursery window.

"Not as beautiful as our baby's going to be."

Mary chuckled, turning in his arms, "I think you might be a little biased."

"I'm perfectly serious."

"I know you are and that's why I love you." She placed a soft kiss on his lips before pulling back to meet his gaze, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Speaking of babies…ours decided to make its presence known this morning."

"Oh, sweetie...," Danny spoke before Mary had a chance, "…did you get that bad gas again? I wondered why you left Delinda and Sam up there, but I can understand how you wouldn't want them to know…"

"Are you quite finished making an ass out of yourself?" She had to give him credit-- he really was trying to be understanding-- but sometimes he was just positively clueless.

Danny's brow furrowed and he looked at her confused.

"I don't have gas, Danny," Mary told him with a roll of her eyes, "The baby was moving. I felt it move this morning and I wanted you to be the first to know."

"What?" Danny asked in disbelief, his hands immediately moving to her stomach. "Omigod. What did it feel like?"

"Like a tiny little hummingbird fluttering around in my tummy. I think I've felt it before, but I didn't realize what it was until today. I just thought it was…."

"Gas?" Danny asked jokingly, grinning as he continued to apply gentle yet firm pressure to her stomach, trying desperately to feel any movement from their child.

"It'll probably be a few more weeks before you can feel anything from the outside, Danny, but it's definitely in there."

Danny looked at her then, his gaze somewhere between awe and elation. "It kinda makes it all seem real now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," she responded, smiling through her tears.

As Danny leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, Mary felt a sudden surge of desire. She moved her hands around his neck and pulled him closer, gently nipping at his lower lip until his mouth opened and allowed her tongue inside. Danny chuckled a bit at her eagerness—he'd gotten used to the mood swings, but the second trimester had brought on a whole new hormone adventure and Danny definitely didn't mind reaping the rewards. He moaned, both in pleasure and in frustration, as he felt Mary's hand snake between them. As much as he wanted her, he knew they needed to stop.

"Mmmm, sweetie, maybe we shouldn't do this in front of the kiddos," Danny gave her a wink and tilted his head towards the nursery.

Mary blushed, embarrassed at her wanton behavior. She couldn't believe she'd practically jumped Danny in the hospital corridor, but lately it seemed like she could barely control herself.

"You're right," she sighed, putting a little bit of distance between them. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You know I love it when you get frisky," Danny waggled his eyebrows, bringing a small smile to Mary's face.

She glanced back at the nursery window before realizing that in her distraction with the baby she had yet to ask a very important question, "Oh, Danny, how's Ed?"

"Good, he'll be here the rest of the week and then they'll probably move him to that rehab hospital in Henderson. He's already ordered all of us to get our butts back to Vegas so as soon as we take care of this one thing we can head out."

"What thing?"

"It's actually something I need your help with."

Mary stood in rapt attention as Danny laid out his idea. Her arms crossed and eyebrows raised expectantly as it became clear exactly what he was asking her to do. Once he was finished, Danny smiled to himself, confident that it truly was the perfect plan.

"Daniel Ryan McCoy--you want your pregnant wife to help you steal government property from a federal agent?" Well, when she put it that way…

"Not steal, sweetie. Just borrow."

"Danny..." Mary still wasn't sure so Danny put his arm around her shoulders and led her away from the nursery and back towards the elevators.

"Come on, Mare, it'll be fun."


	38. Chapter 38

CHAPTER 38

Danny paced nervously in the small walkway between the hospital and adjoining medical building. He was beginning to have second thoughts about involving Mary in this plan.

"Dude, give it a rest. You're making me dizzy," Mike told him, annoyed, as he sat on a nearby bench.

"This was a mistake, Mike. She's taking way too long."

"It hasn't been that long. Just relax," before Mike could finish the glass door opened to reveal a smiling Mary, dangling a Nokia 6682 from her left hand.

"I got it," she proclaimed, triumphantly.

Mike took the phone and immediately began disassembling it while Danny pulled Mary aside.

"I was starting to get worried."

"Yeah, well, I had to build up to it. I figured if I just went up and asked to borrow his phone it would be too obvious."

"Good thinking. So, how did you get it?"

"I just did, Danny," Mary turned away from him and started to walk towards Mike, but Danny stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"You didn't…you know…promise him anything, did you?"

"What? Like sexual favors," Mary raised one eyebrow, her words laced with amusement.

"MARY!" 

Mary knew she was driving him crazy, but she couldn't help it. He was just so adorable when he was like this. Despite his professed faith in her ability to scheme with the best of them, Mary knew that Danny didn't really think she was capable of pulling something like this off without slipping up. She supposed his worry should offend her, but she couldn't really blame him. The cloak and dagger stuff had never been her forte, but she had gotten better at it. Having to keep a cool head and straight face while dealing with irate hotel guests and drunk conventioneers over the years had helped a lot.

"Look, Danny, I gave him a sob story and then asked if I could borrow his phone. It was surprisingly easy. Men are such suckers."

Mary gave a teasing wink to which Danny rolled his eyes. She still wasn't answering his question and that made him wonder. "What kind of sob story?"

"You're really not going to let this go, are you? You're the one who wanted me to do this."

"I know, I'm just curious," Danny tried to sound nonchalant, but he was failing terribly. He expected Mary to use her charm and obvious assets to get what she wanted, but this was something he wasn't prepared for and he was dying to know how she'd pulled it off.

Mary sighed. She really had been hoping to avoid telling Danny the content of her conversation with the FBI agent, but she knew she was going to have to fess up. "I turned on the tears and told him that no one cared about me and that my cell phone battery was dead because my horrible, mean husband who obviously wasn't concerned about his pregnant wife being without any means of communication had forgotten to charge it."

"MARY! I plugged your cell phone in last night and whenever yours is out I let you use mine."

"Danny, honey…," Mary laid her hands flat on his chest and looked into his eyes, trying to hide her amusement. "…it was all just a story to get him to feel sorry for me. I knew he would freak at the hormonal pregnant woman bit so I went with it."

Danny's lips quirked in a smile. Of course she hadn't meant it, it had just been unexpected to hear the words coming from her mouth. "Did you have to make me sound like such a jerk?"

Mary chuckled before standing on her tip toes to give her husband a soft kiss. "Believe me, I think he probably feels sorry for you now. I was really neurotic up there. He practically threw the phone at me."

Her eyes were sparkling with laughter and Danny smiled back, leaning down to place a tender kiss on her forehead. He was about to move to her lips when they both heard Mike exclaim, "Bingo!"

"You found one?" Danny asked, taking Mary by the hand as they moved closer to Mike.

"Yep, just like the one in your phone. It's activated when the phone is in use so any incoming or outgoing calls are recorded and monitored." Mike held up the tiny device for both Danny and Mary to see. "You want to smash it?"

"No, put it back."

"What? Danny, why?" Mary questioned.

"Because now that we know for sure that it's there we might be able to use it to our advantage."

Mike shook his head in agreement and began the process of putting the phone back together—bug intact.

"You're going to set a trap, aren't you?" Mary asked, wrapping her arms around herself as she suddenly felt a chill creep up her spine. 

"Something like that," Danny replied distractedly. 

"Danny, I don't think that's a good idea. You need to let the FBI know that their phones are bugged and let them deal with it."

Hearing the hint of fear in his wife's voice, Danny turned to look at her, "Not yet. And despite what he said this morning, I'm pretty sure Agent Davis knows the leak is on their end."

Agent Davis had been furious during their meeting—accusing Danny and Ed once again of trying to sabotage the investigation--this time by getting a key suspect and potential witness killed, but for all his blustering Danny could tell that he was worried. He knew as well as Ed and Danny that whoever had shot at them and killed Hinojosa had discovered the location through the Bureau, but it would be a cold day in hell before he'd actually admit it.

"I don't want to get another phone call in the middle of the night."

"I know," Danny placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, "but I can't stop until I make sure they're not a threat to anyone anymore—especially you."

Mary nodded her head. She couldn't fault Danny for wanting to protect her, he'd always felt a sense of duty when it came to her, but this was different. This was his life and if it was a choice between living her life in fear with Danny by her side or being safe without him. She'd choose the fear any day.

Danny kissed her forehead again before turning to Mike, "You said you might be able to figure out where the receiver is for this thing?"

"Yeah, I don't know if I can pinpoint it, but I can probably get a general area. I don't have any of the right equipment here, but if we can get Agent O'Dell back in Vegas and using his phone in the Montecito I can try to figure out who's monitoring his calls. Here ya go, Mare," Mike handed Mary the phone back and she immediately took a few steps away from Danny, dialing a number and putting the phone to her ear.

"Hi, this is Mary McCoy. Can you confirm my appointment time for tomorrow?" She listened a moment before replying "thank you," and disconnecting the call.

Danny and Mike both looked at her perplexed. "You said your appointment was at 2 tomorrow."

"It is. I just thought I should call someone in case Agent O'Dell checked the outgoing calls. It would look suspicious if I borrowed his phone and didn't make any calls."

Mike nodded his head appreciatively at Mary's thinking and Danny put his arm around her as they walked back inside. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Well, I learned from the best."

Danny smiled proudly before kissing her on the side of her head. "Thanks, sweetie."

"I was talking about Sam."

---  
Most of the color had returned to Ed's face and he looked tremendously better, even since that morning, but the fact remained that he could barely move without severe pain. They'd had to crack open his chest and you didn't recover from a surgery like that overnight. Ed had weeks of therapy ahead of him and during that time Danny was going to have to step up and keep things running smoothly.

"Okay, find Myers, but don't approach him. It's obvious they know what all of us look like and they'll run the minute you start snooping around. Get with Frank. Now that we have a name, photo and a general location, he can help you track the guy using some of our old sources."

Danny, Mike and Mary were all scheduled for an 8:30 flight back to Vegas, but Ed had insisted on speaking with Danny alone before they left. So while Mike and Mary had gone over to the hotel to eat a quick bite with everyone else and grab their stuff, Danny sat alone at the side of Ed's hospital bed, soaking in every last morsel of guidance before he had to leave.

"As for the Montecito, Casey will be in Vegas for a couple of days, but then he's got to head back to Hong Kong. You okay running things for awhile?"

"Yeah, sure. It's not like I haven't done it before," Danny was confident in his abilities, but there would always be that small part of him that was afraid of disappointing his mentor.

"Delegate as much as you can. Mike and Mitch can handle security since you're going to have a lot of other stuff on your plate. I know I don't have to tell you, but Mary is excellent with just about every aspect of the hotel so anything you need--check with her. Go to Lawrence if you have any gaming issues and don't let Sam and Delinda walk all over you."

"Ed," Danny scoffed, "I think I can handle Delinda and Sam."

"Yeah, right. I'm serious about the delegating thing, Danny. Don't try to do everything yourself. I know you're perfectly capable, but I don't want you neglecting your personal obligations."

Danny nodded his understanding before a heavy silence settled over the room as he tried to muster the courage to say what had been on his mind for the past two days. Ed knew him too well and he refused to let the silence remain for long.

"I know you want to say something so just spit it out, kid."

"I…," Danny took a deep breath, trying to find the words to express what he was feeling, "Ed, I'm sorry I got you involved in this. I'm sorry that I almost got you killed."

"Christ, Danny. Is that what you think?"

"You wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for me. This is my fight and I should have handled it on my own."

"Danny, I want these guys as much as you do. They messed with my family and no one does that and gets away with it. You should know that about me by now."

"Yeah, I just…," Danny dropped his head, unable to meet Ed's eyes when he whispered his next words, "I was scared."

Ed reached out, placing his hand over Danny's where it rested on the bed. "I know you were, son…but I'm okay. I'm a tough old goat and it takes more than a bullet to keep me down. You got that?"

"That's exactly what Mary said."

"She's a smart girl, you should think about keeping her around."

Danny nodded, smiling through the tears that now filled his eyes. Taking another deep breath, he tried to avoid any more embarrassing displays. He had been expecting Ed to ridicule him for being so emotional—so girly, as he would call it, but the fact that he'd understood Danny's pain spoke volumes. The incident had obviously scared him too.

"Hey, kid?"

"Yeah?"

"You were right. What you said in the car…nothing is worth leaving your family behind. They need to be your priority. Not just keeping them safe, but getting to be there for all the little things in between. I want these guys caught, but I want you to see that baby of yours come into this world and everything that comes after that."

"Yeah," Danny responded quietly.

"So, no more going off rogue--for either of us. Once we get enough information I want us to go to the FBI with everything we know. We'll let them help us set up the trap for these guys. You got that?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, now get outta here. I'm not paying you to sit around crying like a pansy." Danny chuckled a bit as Ed brought them back to familiar ground. Despite the seemingly harsh words, a sincere and understanding smile never left the older man's face.

"Ah, I thought we were bonding," Danny couldn't help but tease as he stood up—moving the chair back against the wall.

"You're pushing it, kid. Go…now!" They both laughed as Danny left the room and Danny was still smiling as he headed out of the hospital and across the street to meet Mary and Mike for the trip home.


	39. Chapter 39

Danny roughly pulled his tie through the loop. He was going to be late and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He'd gotten up early to make an 8:00AM meeting with the zoning commission and in his rush to find his keys he'd turned around and crashed right into Mary, her large glass of orange juice spilling all over his suit. She'd apologized, but the foul mood Danny had woken up in had quickly gone from bad to worse as he pushed past her without a word--running back to the bedroom to change his clothes.

As he tightened the knot and pulled on his jacket he couldn't help but mumble to himself–cursing Mary's clumsiness and then himself for taking it out on her. He was just tired. He just needed to rest and maybe when Ed got back next week he could take a few days off. 

Danny had been going non-stop for the last four weeks–doing not only Ed's job, but his own as well. Combine that with trying to get things around the house in order and their ongoing search for the Masquerade Group and he was definitely on the verge–of what, he wasn't exactly sure.

Putting his wallet and Blackberry in his pocket he headed back towards the kitchen–glancing at Mary where she sat reading the paper.

"I'll talk to you later," he said curtly heading for the door.

"Danny," she called out to him, "can you please try and call the pool guy today?"

"Yeah, sure," he said distractedly.

"Because you said you were going to call him yesterday and you didn't."

Danny stopped and turned to face her, irritation clearly showing on his face, "If you're so worried about it then why don't you call him?"

"I did. He's asking me questions that I don't know the answer to--stuff about the pump–it would only take a couple of minutes if you'd just make the time to get on the phone with him. If we're going to have everyone over this weekend I think it would be nice if the pool wasn't full of brown gunk."

"I said I would do it, Mare! Give it a rest."

"Danny," Mary was startled at his tone. It was true they'd been bickering quite a bit lately–certainly more than they ever had before, but this was different.

"You know some of us have to work and don't get to sit around all day reading the paper."

"Hey, that's not fair! It's my day off! I've worked the last 10 days without a break–you know that."

"Yeah, well I've worked the last month without a break, Mary, so let's not talk about fair."

"Fine, let's just cancel the party. We'll reschedule for when you're in a better mood," Mary got up from her chair, tossing her dishes loudly into the sink.

"Don't put this off on me. It's Ed's welcome home party and we're not rescheduling!"

"THEN CALL THE DAMN POOL GUY!" Mary's eyes were filled with fire now, her anger having escalated at Danny's callous accusations. Unable to look at her anymore, Danny turned on his heel and headed out the door–slamming it as hard as he could behind him.

Halfway to the car–he turned back–making it as far as the porch with his hand poised on the knob before he stopped. He was too angry and he needed to get it under control and he had a pretty good feeling that Mary was beyond pissed at the moment. He'd let them both cool off and then they could talk.

Mary screeched out a frustrated breath, her hands shaking as she tried to load the dishwasher. She had seen Danny that angry before, but it had never been directed at her. And the fact that he'd left without a word had her even more concerned. She'd been trying to alleviate as much of his load as she could the last few weeks–mainly at home, but his mood had continued to go downhill. He was stressed beyond his limits and she had no idea what to do to help him anymore.

What hurt her the most was that he hadn't even acknowledged the whole reason she was off today. They were supposed to have their doctor's appointment–the one where they would find out whether the baby was a boy or girl. Mary briefly considered letting it go–waiting to see if he remembered on his own, but she quickly dispelled that idea. That wasn't fair to Danny--trying to walk him into some sort of trap–but there was no way she was ready to talk to him yet. She reached for her cell phone and quickly sent him a text–BABY DOC 4PM.

----

Danny had received her text on his way to work and it had made him feel even more like an ass than he already did. He'd immediately pulled over to the side of the road to take a few deep breaths--first calling the pool man and then programming the alarm on his Blackberry to go off at 3:00–insuring that no matter where he was he'd have plenty of time to get to Dr. Overton's office for their 4 o'clock appointment. They'd discussed it at length and had both decided that they didn't see anything wrong with finding out the sex of the baby. Mary was a planner and she needed all the facts in order to have everything absolutely perfect and in place by the time the little one made his or her arrival. 

One of the things Danny had learned early on was that Mary didn't like it when he tried to buy her affection or her forgiveness. It's what made her different from most of the women he'd ever known and it definitely had its advantages–namely for his checkbook. Unfortunately, it also had several disadvantages–first and foremost being that it made "making up" a lot more difficult and time consuming. It helped that they didn't fight that often, but this morning had been terrible and Danny knew he was going to have to do some major groveling. As he hurried through the Forum shops that afternoon, he decided that Mary wouldn't be upset at the gift he had in mind–after all, it wasn't really for her. He'd been distracted all day long–thinking about how to make things right between them and had finally come to some decisions. Now, if he could just get his damn headache to go away before he had to face her everything might just be alright.

Just as he was headed back to the Montecito his phone rang. "Danny McCoy."

"Danny, it's me," Delinda sounded panicked and that was never a good sign. "The supplier was supposed to be here with the new chairs for Mystique and apparently there's some problem with the payment and they're refusing to release them."

"Slow down."

"I don't have time to slow down–Mariah Carey's group is going to be here tonight and we don't have any chairs. You need to fix this."

"Whoa! How am I supposed to fix this?"

"The guy's decided he's only going to accept payment in cash so we need to take it to him and then he'll deliver the chairs."

"Cash? What the hell kind of people are you doing business with?"

"That's not important," she dismissed him, obviously exasperated that he was missing her point. "I put the supply order on your desk so you need to get the cash and we'll meet him at 2:45."

"Delinda, I've got an appointment at 4 that I cannot miss."

"We'll be done in plenty of time if you'll stop arguing with me and get going."

"Fine. Meet me at the valet at 2:00."

----

Danny banged his head back against the wall as he listened to the chiming of the alarm on his phone. They'd headed to the warehouse only to find the place abandoned and no supplier in sight. Furious, Delinda had started snooping around and they'd ended up inside one of the interior storage units–a unit that locked from the outside.

"I thought you said you couldn't get any reception in here?"

"I can't–it's the alarm."

"Alarm for what?"

"It's reminding me about our doctor's appointment for Mary's ultrasound."

"Well, I'm sure she'll understand. It's not like we planned to get locked in here."

Danny sighed–hoping that Delinda was right and there would be someway for him to explain this all to Mary, because right now he was pretty sure she was going to be devastated–especially after the way he'd left things this morning.

----  
"Hey, how was the appointment? Is it going to be a little Michael or a little Michelle?"

"I don't know. I didn't find out."

"What? Why?"

"Because Danny never showed up. He was supposed to be there and he never showed up and WE were supposed to find out and …he didn't show up, Mike," Mary's voice broke and a lone tear slipped down her cheek.

"Mary, that doesn't sound like him. I'm sure he has a really good reason."

"Yeah, well, we had a fight this morning so I guess he's still angry with me."

"How bad could it have been?"

"Look, I can't talk about it anymore because I'm going to get really upset and I would prefer not to do it in the middle of the casino. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Mike shook his head as he watched Mary retreat to her office. There was no way Danny would knowingly miss that appointment. He'd mentioned it to Mike that morning and he was pretty sure that it hadn't slipped his friend's mind. Heading upstairs, Mike decided he was going to have to track down Mr. McCoy and find out what the heck was going on.

----  
Four hours later and Danny and Delinda were still locked away. They'd banged on the doors until they thought their arms might fall off and yelled until their voices were almost gone. There was no one to hear them and with no means of communication they were beginning to wonder if anyone would ever find them.

"We're going to die here."

"Shut up, Delinda," Danny snapped. "Stop being so dramatic. Someone's bound to miss us sooner or later." Silently, Danny couldn't help but wonder if Mary was missing him. He knew she was most likely upset, but he wondered at what point she would start to worry and realize that he might actually be in trouble.

"Why does that thing keep beeping every half hour?" Delinda asked, indicating Danny's phone, "I thought you turned it off."

"It's a beacon of my failures."

"Now who's being dramatic," Delinda asked as she rolled her eyes. Danny glared at her again before they fell back into silence.

It was another hour before they heard noises outside the door. Mustering his last bit of strength Danny stood up, stumbling to the door to bang and scream until it opened to reveal a very confused-looking Mike Cannon. 

"Thank God!" Delinda said as she threw herself into Mike's arms.

"Mike, buddy, I owe you big time. We've been stuck in here for hours. How the hell did you find us?"

"Joanna said you and Delinda had gone to pick up some chairs and it took me awhile, but I finally tracked the guy down who delivered them and he told me he was supposed to meet you out here, but he got tied up so he just headed to the Montecito."

"Wait, he delivered the chairs?" Delinda asked in disbelief.

"Yeah–they're all set up at Mystique. They look great by the way."

"Son of a …," Danny muttered, but was cut off by Mike.

"You are in some serious trouble on the homefront, buddy."

"Yeah, I know. I need to go. Please tell me my car is still out there?"

"It is. I'll take Delinda you just go fix things with your wife."

"Thanks," Danny said, giving Mike a slap on the arm as he hurried past them and out to his car.

----  
It was dark–outside as well as in--by the time Danny pulled up to the house. He stumbled quietly through the living room and towards the bedroom only to find the door closed. On a good day it might have been possible to interpret the closed door several different ways, but there was no mistaking the meaning of the bedding piled on the floor in the hallway. Danny was not welcome in their bed tonight. A glutton for punishment he decided to try the knob, but just as he suspected it was locked. Mary wasn't pulling any punches and he couldn't really blame her. As he reached down to pick up the pillow and blankets he heard her soft, tired voice on the other side of the door.

"Danny?"

"Yeah," he responded, hoping that she might change her mind and let him in.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

There was a long pause before she finally responded, "Then I'll talk to you in the morning."

Danny nodded his head, resigned to his fate–at least for tonight. Excuses weren't going to matter at this point because nothing was going to take away her disappointment that he missed today.

----  
Danny was still awake hours later, the flickering TV casting a surreal light over the darkened living room when he noticed her staring. He wasn't sure how long she'd been standing in the doorway, but when he met her eyes she moved tentatively into the room. Sitting down on the ottoman, she turned to face him–her silence begging him for an explanation.

"Delinda and I went to meet a supplier about some chairs for Mystique. He didn't show up and we got locked in this stupid storage building and couldn't get out. My cell wouldn't work so I didn't have any way to call."

Mary remained silent, only nodding her head as her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"I know these last few weeks have been hard on us. I haven't done a very good job at balancing everything and I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry if I've been riding you about things, Danny. I don't want you to think of me as a nag."

Danny pushed himself off the couch, moving on his knees until he was in front of Mary. He slowly ran his hands up her thighs and around her waist until they rested at the small her back.

"I don't think that. I know you've been trying to help, but I've just been so stressed that I couldn't see that. I'm so sorry that I upset you and I don't want us to fight…ever."

"Danny, we can be mad and we can fight–it's part of every relationship, but I don't ever want to feel like I did today. I don't ever want to feel like you might not be coming back," tears slid from Mary's eyes as she hiccupped, trying to hold back a sob.

"Hey," he said, wiping the moisture from her skin with his thumb, "I told you when we got married that you were stuck with me. No matter what happens I'm not going anywhere so you better get used to it." Mary smiled a little at Danny's attempt at humor as he pulled her closer, settling himself between her knees and cradling her face in his hands.

"You are the most important thing to me, but I just got so caught up in trying to do a good job and be there for everyone and I was pissed that I was failing–pissed at myself. The one thing I promised Ed when I took over everything was that I would always put my personal obligations first and I haven't been doing that, but I promise I'm going to try harder." Mary tilted her head up so she could nudge his nose with hers and Danny sighed in contentment at her soft Eskimo kisses before he leaned back again to look in her eyes.

"How did the appointment go?"

"It didn't really. The baby's fine, but I didn't find out. I didn't want to know if you weren't there."

"I promise I'm going to make this up to you."

"It's okay."

"No, I promise," he assured her and she smiled at his insistence. "So, can I come to bed?"

"Yes, but I need to tell you that it's purely a selfish move on my part," Mary teased as she reached for the remote and turned off the TV.

"Oh really?" Danny asked, helping her to her feet.

"Yes. Fortunately for you I can't sleep when I'm mad at you."

"Well, that's good because I can't sleep when you're mad at me either," Danny put his arm around her shoulders, grabbing his pillow off the couch and leading her to bed.


	40. Chapter 40

Danny was practically bouncing as he walked across the casino floor. Today was one of the most incredible days of his life and it wasn't even noon yet. To make up for the missed appointment the day before, he'd surprised Mary that morning with an appointment at a private clinic that performed 3D and 4D ultrasounds. They'd been able to see the most amazing video of the baby and it had been surreal to finally learn what they were expecting. Neither one of them had any preference as to the baby's gender, but knowing just made the last piece of their family fall into place. Mary was definitely over the moon and Danny couldn't be happier. They'd decided to keep the information to themselves–at least until the weekend–and let all of their friends know at Ed's welcome home barbecue.

"Where the hell do you get off shutting down Mr. Sherborn's table? Mike said you gave him the okay."

"Is that anyway to greet your boss?" Danny couldn't help but smirk at Sam. In the month since Ed had been gone he'd learned how to deal with her demands most of the time, but every once in awhile she could still get one by him. 

"You're not my boss, McCoy. Mr. Sherborn has brought in a ton of money for us and shutting down his special table is not the way to keep him happy. I know he's been on a roll, but if you leave him alone he'll gamble all weekend and give it back."

"He's up over a million, Sam. We can't take that chance."

"Ed would have," Sam responded, employing her usual tricks in trying to goad Danny into giving in, but he wasn't taking the bait this time. 

"No, Ed would have shut him down an hour ago. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, but it's over."

"How am I supposed to keep him entertained?"

"You'll think of something," Danny's smile never faded as he left the casino host standing on the floor and headed up to the security room.

----

"Did you sweep?" Danny mouthed the words to Mike, gesturing around Ed's office as soon as he opened the door.

"Yep, we're clean. Everything's set up for the call."

Danny nodded his head and they sat down to call Frank. Ed's old friend and confidant had been working things from the East coast, trying to track down Eric Myers and his girlfriend and they'd set up a conference call for today to touch base. 

"Whatcha got, Frank?" Danny leaned back in Ed's chair, putting his feet up on the desk.

"Ed know you're making yourself at home, McCoy?" the amused voice boomed through the speaker.

Danny immediately dropped his feet to the floor and sat up straight, glancing around the room as if he was being watched. "_It must be a CIA thing_," Danny thought to himself as he crossed his arms and leaned on the desk–closer to the phone.

Frank chuckled a bit before continuing. "I finally found your guy. That girl of his likes to write bad checks so she was easy to track down initially, but they've been on the move. They're in a motel outside Trenton."

"Just the two of them? No sign of the Ford brothers?"

"Nope, but I've only been watching them since last night. You want me to keep an eye out for a couple more days? See if anyone shows up?"

"Yeah," Danny agreed while Mike silently nodded his head. "We're going to talk to the FBI."

"You sure that's such a good idea? Thought you said they were wired."

"We'll be discreet. We couldn't trace who was monitoring the calls, but we've still got one way to use it to our advantage. We've got to have back up on this, though," Danny told them both, remembering his promise to Ed, "I'm not having a repeat of what happened last time."

"Sounds good, kid," Frank said, impressed with Danny's control of the situation. "I'll keep someone on them and call you tomorrow." 

----  
"Hey," the greeting accompanied a soft knock at her office door and Mary looked up to see a very contrite looking Delinda.

"Hey, sweetie."

"Mary, I'm so sorry I kept Danny yesterday," Delinda hadn't really been thinking about anything other than herself during their ordeal yesterday, but Mike had given her quite the guilt trip on the ride back to the Montecito and she'd decided it couldn't hurt to apologize.

"It's okay. Danny and I worked it out. I promise we're fine."

Delinda looked relieved before her gaze fell on the blue Tiffany's box sitting on Mary's desk. Reaching for it, she commented, "Well, at least you got a good make-up gift out of it."

Mary started to protest, but Delinda already had it out of the box. "Oooh, it's a …cup?"

Mary smiled as she took the sterling silver cup from Delinda and turned it to display the beautiful "M" engraved on the front. Danny had given it to her after the ultrasound that morning and she couldn't have asked for a more perfect gift. Her eyes suddenly got misty as she remembered all they had learned that morning and her heart swelled a little at the memory.

"I'm going to have to talk with Danny about his gift choices," Delinda's remark brought Mary out of her thoughts.

"You will do no such thing. That cup is a keepsake for the baby and Danny couldn't have made a better choice."

Delinda looked at her strangely, still not understanding, "You wouldn't have been happier with diamonds or maybe even a really nice sapphire?"

"Nope," she shook her head, hoping it was the end of the conversation. Missing the morning had put her behind and she really needed to get back to work.

"You're so weird."

Mary rolled her eyes and chuckled a little bit as Delinda drifted out of the room, obviously secure that there were no hard feelings about yesterday's misfortunes.

----

"Wow, sexy mama," Danny let out a low whistle as he watched Mary scrutinize herself in the full-length mirror.

"Shut up. I can't believe I let you talk me into wearing this thing."

"Mary, it's a pool party," Danny said as he moved behind her, moving her hair to the side so he could rest his chin on her shoulder, "We're all going to be in the pool. And as much as I would love to get you in that pool in nothing but your birthday suit, I think that might make some of our guests a little uncomfortable." He kissed her bare shoulder before meeting her eyes and giving her a wink in the mirror.

Mary had found a dark brown tankini with a halter top and side ruching that actually fit her quite well, but she still wasn't used to seeing so much more of herself when she looked in the mirror.

"Danny," she half-whined, "Delinda and Sam are going to have on these sexy little bikinis and I'm going to look like…"

Danny arched one eyebrow, daring Mary to put herself down, but she stopped short, settling instead on an exasperated, "…THIS."

"Mary, honey, you're carrying our child," he told her, moving his hands so that they were spread out across the expanse of her stomach, his fingers lightly teasing the skin that peaked out between the two pieces of her suit, "Nothing could be sexier than that."

"Now you're just making stuff up," she pouted.

"I am not. Do you realize what seeing you like this does to me," Danny's mouth moved to her neck and Mary's toes curled as he trailed hot kisses down her shoulder, "…knowing that I did this–that I put this life inside of you? It makes me...it makes me crazy," Mary moaned as she felt Danny's tongue once again touch her heated skin, his teeth nipping gently at the tendon that stretched from her neck to her shoulder. She turned in his arms, wrapping herself around him as he slowly pulled her towards the bed. He was getting really good at this…at knowing exactly what to say-- and Mary decided that a serious reward was in order, but it would have to wait until later.

"Danny, everyone's going to be here any minute."

"They can wait," he insisted, trying in vain to get the spandex off of her body.

"No, they can't," Mary told him, pulling the strap of her swimsuit back into place, "You need to get the grill started and I need to finish getting ready."

"Fine." Now it was his turn to pout as he picked up the stack of towels Mary had left on the bed and headed for the door.

Before he could leave the room, though, Mary grabbed his arm–turning him around to face her and kissing him thoroughly, the towels in a forgotten heap in the floor.

"Mmmm. Later?" he questioned.

"Definitely," she told him with a wink and went back into the bathroom to pull up her hair.

----  
"I'm telling you, kid, you splash me one more time and I'm taking you out," Ed said gruffly from his lounge chair by the pool. Danny and Mike had been trying to get him in all afternoon. After Jillian had assured them that his incisions were healed enough for the water they had tried everything from telling him that it would be good for the healing process to attempting to make him feel like a chicken and now they'd just resorted to downright annoyance. Danny had been "accidentally" splashing Ed for the last fifteen minutes and it was definitely having the desired effect.

"You'll have to come in the water to get me, old man," Danny punctuated that last statement with another splash and Ed slowly pulled himself to his feet, walking towards the pool.

Mike gave Danny a behind the back high five–silently cheering that their attempts had been successful. They watched as their boss picked up a "noodle" from the wood chest that held all the floats and pool toys and walked back towards where Danny and Mike stood in the shallow end. Just when the two friends were expecting Ed to enter the water–he hauled back and smacked them both upside the head with the noodle before they had time to react and headed back to his lounge chair.

The girls couldn't contain their laughter as the boys stood there dumbfounded. Jillian decided that it was probably time for the party to wind down. While Ed had been excited and anxious to spend the day with everyone since his official release from the rehab hospital–he did tend to get a bit cranky. She knew he was only messing with the boys, and she couldn't say that they didn't deserve it, but it had been a long day for her husband and it was getting late.

"I think it's time to get this crotchety old man to bed. Mary, Danny, thank you for a lovely time. The house is beautiful."

With only minimal help from Danny, Mary struggled awkwardly to her feet from her place on the edge of the pool so that she could help Jillian gather their things.

"Oh, I almost forgot," the older woman said as she walked back into the house, reappearing with two beautiful gift bags–one stuffed with blue tissue paper and the other with pink. "A little birdie told me that the two of you are keeping a secret."

Everyone else made their way out of the pool, grabbing their various towels and wraps and forming a circle around Mary and Jillian. It had somehow filtered out that Danny and Mary knew the baby's gender, but despite everyone's prodding they'd managed to keep it a secret until today.

"We wanted to tell everyone together," Danny said, hoping that Jillian hadn't been offended.

"Well, here we all are so…which one is it going to be," Jillian held up both gifts, indicating that Mary should choose.

Mary glanced at Danny, a small smile playing at her lips and when he gave her a slight nod she reached out and took the gift from Jillian's right hand and the backyard erupted in squeals and cheers. Mary was engulfed in hugs by her friends while Ed put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Congratulations, kid. Take it from me--you're in for one hell of a ride."


	41. Chapter 41

_**Reviews seemed to have dropped off on this story. Are people still interested in reading the end? I'vethrown in another problem for Danny and Mary to get through so please let me know what you think. **_

-41-

Danny, Mike and Ed sat around the speakerphone in Ed's office listening intently to the covert operation being conducted on the other end. They'd managed to set up a sting using O'Dell's bugged cell phone--making arrangements to apprehend Myers all the while knowing that the call would be intercepted. The truth was the FBI had already taken Myers and his girlfriend into custody and placed two agents in their place. Now they were all just waiting for their faithful assassin to show up and try to eliminate the witnesses.

A small part of Danny had wanted to be there to see the capture of the men who had caused them all so much pain, but it wasn't worth the risk. There was no way he'd do anything that might take him away from his girls. After several heated discussions with the Director and Agent Davis, they were more than confident now that the FBI had the situation under control.

The chatter of the agents increased and the three men looked at each other–knowing that something was about to go down. Suddenly, a hail of gunfire erupted through the speaker and Danny jumped to his feet–startled and feeling a bit helpless in the situation. Very little could be heard over the explosion of bullets, but Danny could barely make out the sounds of squealing tires and crunching metal.

"ALL UNITS REPORT IN!" Davis' voice boomed across the connection and the sound of various agents giving the all clear followed. Everyone breathed a small sigh of relief that all the good guys had apparently come through unscathed, but the room was still heavy with anticipation. Had their plan been a success?

Finally a voice crackled across the line, "Suspect secure."

Mike pumped his fist in the air, silently cheering that this whole thing was almost over.

"Mr. Deline?" Agent Davis questioned, trying to make sure they were all still on the line.

"We're here, Agent Davis. Is our understanding correct-- you have the suspect in custody?"

"Yes, sir. I'm not close enough at the moment to make a positive ID, but it looks like Paul Ford."

"No sign of Chester?"

"No, sir. I'll contact you as soon as we've interrogated him further."

"Thank you, Agent Davis. We'll be anxiously awaiting that call."

Ed disconnected the call and looked at Danny–his face a mixture of relief and trepidation and Danny understood immediately. Three down and one to go, but by all accounts the last one was the most dangerous of them all.

---

"I still need to run to Saks. You almost done?" Sam and Mary were enjoying a rare day off together as they browsed the shops at Fashion Show Mall.

"Why don't you go ahead," Mary told Sam as she carefully set her items on the counter at Janie and Jack. "I want to grab a few more things and I still need to check out. How about I meet you over by Godiva?"

"Godiva?"

"Yeah, I've been craving one of those chocolate covered raspberry ice cream bars."

"I hate you," Sam scowled and Mary couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's for the baby!" she jokingly tried to argue.

"Yeah, whatever. Twenty minutes?"

"Sounds good."

---

Mary finished up the last of her ice cream bar and tossed it in the trash. She hadn't taken as much time as she thought since she'd pretty much decided on one of everything. She knew Danny would think she was crazy, but she just couldn't bring herself to choose. That would definitely be the first lesson she taught her little girl–sometimes boys just don't understand. As she stood in the middle of the mall, looking towards Saks to see if she could spot Sam she heard someone call her name and an icy chill ran up her spine. When she turned around she saw the source of the voice and her heart jumped to her throat.

"Hello, Mary, long time-no see."

Mary stood there in shock, unable to respond. How could he talk to her like they were long lost friends? How could he pretend that the hurt and the pain and the horror he'd inflicted on her so many years ago never happened?

"Honey, this is my daughter Mary," he said conversationally to the woman next to him. "Mary, this is my friend Susan. We're here chaperoning a field trip with the youth group from our church." It was only then that Mary noticed all the children around them. Her gaze met his again and any thought she had of screaming–of telling him that she had stopped being his daughter the minute he put his hands on her died on her lips. As the woman walked away, chasing a stray child, Mary realized she needed to leave. It wouldn't do anyone any good to make a scene here–especially in front of all these innocent children. Innocent–she wondered if that was still true or if he'd tainted any of them the way he had done to her.

"Looks like I'm going to be a grandpa," he gushed, reaching out to put his hand against her stomach before she could react. "Is it a girl?" To anyone else the question would have sounded perfectly innocent, but the evil gleam in his eye made Mary flinch and she immediately pulled away, taking several steps back and swatting at the hand that still pressed against her child. In that moment, her instinct to flee took over and she turned to get away from him. Unfortunately, in her haste she lost her footing and stumbled. A collective gasp rose from the few passersby who took notice as she managed to catch herself on the back of a bench–effectively stopping her fall just as Sam appeared at her side.

"Omigod, Mary. Are you alright?" Sam screamed.

A man who had been sitting on the bench stood to help and together they managed to get Mary back on her feet and moved to the bench, while another woman picked up Mary's shopping bags and handed them to Sam.

"I'm fine," she said, trying to catch her breath. "I just lost my balance. I'm okay."

Sam turned to glare at the man she had recognized as Mary's father, but he was gone. Mary had never told her the whole story about what went on between her and her father, but just the fact that he had upset her before and she obviously wanted nothing to do with him was enough to send Sam running as fast as her Prada boots would allow as soon as she saw them talking.

"I'm calling Danny," Sam said, taking out her phone and pressing 5 on her speed dial.

"No."

"Mary, you fell."

"Sam, I didn't fall," Mary tried to reach for the phone, but Sam had already connected with his voice mail.

"Danny, it's Sam. Mary and I are at the mall and something happened. I need you to call me as soon as you get this message." Sam disconnected the call and turned back to Mary, "I think we should call an ambulance."

"I'm not going to the hospital. I'm fine and I just want to get out of here okay," Mary raised her voice almost hysterically–finally attracting the attention of a mall security guard.

"Is everything alright?"

"No, it's not," Sam told him. "A man assaulted my friend and caused her to fall."

Mary looked at Sam in disbelief as the security guard crouched in front of her with a pad and pen, "Ma'am, can you give me a description of the man?"

Sighing in frustration, Mary answered, "He didn't assault me. He just startled me and I lost my footing. It was nothing."

"Just the same, we'd like to have a word with him."

"He was with a group and they've obviously left so I'd really just like to go. It was….it was an accident. My friend is just overreacting."

"MARY!"

Mary put her hand up to stop Sam's protest and gingerly rose to her feet, "Thank you for your help, officer, but I'd really just like to get home."

---

"Where is she?"

The front door flew open and Danny bounded inside, startling Sam from her seat on the couch. He'd called back when they were on their way home and much to Sam's annoyance, Mary had only given him the edited version of what had taken place. Despite Mary's sugarcoated sequence of events, it had been enough to bring Danny rushing home and Sam supposed that was all that mattered.

"She's in the shower."

"How could you let him get near her, Sam?"

"We just split up for a few minutes, Danny. I needed to run to Saks and she wanted to stay in Janie and Jack. It looked like they were just talking, but I got there as soon as I could."

"Just talking?"

"Yes, and Mary seemed okay–not thrilled, but I could tell she was trying not to cause a scene, but when he touched her stomach…"

Danny had started to move towards the bedroom as Sam finished relaying the story, but her words brought him to a sudden stop. He turned to look at her, fury filling his eyes.

"He touched her?"

It was in that instant that Sam knew. She knew without being told what that man had done to Mary and the thought made her sick.

"He put his hand on her stomach and said something about the baby. I was just walking up and didn't hear what it was."

"Son of a…," Danny headed back towards the front door, his hands clenched tightly into fists and Sam knew she needed to stop him.

"Hey!" she yelled, grabbing his arm and turning him to face her. "I know you want to run off on one of your macho, beat the bad guy tirades, but Mary's really upset right now and you need to worry about her."

"I am worrying about her."

"Then take care of her," Sam's voice was firm, but she suddenly softened her tone, "She needs you, Danny."

---

Danny could still hear the water running as he entered their bedroom. He'd apologized and thanked Sam for her help before sending her home. Even though Sam had a pretty good idea of what was going on, he knew that his wife probably wouldn't truly open up as long as someone else was around.

As he pushed the door to the master bath open, he felt an ache in his chest. Through the glass shower door he could see that Mary was curled up on the floor, her knees pulled as close to her chest as the baby would allow. Wet strands of hair clung to her face and neck as she stared blankly at the tile. Sighing, Danny grabbed Mary's robe off the hook and reached out to open the shower door. The steam that had once covered the glass had started to dissipate and Danny realized that the water had most-likely gone cold. Still lost in thought, it took Mary a moment to notice his presence, but when he reached in to turn off the water she finally met his gaze.

"Hey," she said weakly, trying to manage a smile.

"Hey, baby. You gettin' cold in here?"

"A little I guess. I didn't realize I'd been in here so long."

Danny crouched down to wrap the terry cloth around her body and gently pulled Mary to her feet. Once her arms were through the holes, the sash tied securely and a towel wrapped around her head he scooped her up and brought her to the bed.

Curling up next to her, Danny held her close before asking, "You wanna tell me more about what happened?"

"I promise I'm okay, Danny. If I thought there was any chance the baby might be hurt … I caught myself before I fell--it was just jarring and my shoulders ache a little."

"I still think you should take it easy the rest of the day–stay off your feet."

"I think that's a good idea–I just feel drained for some reason. Probably too much shopping," Mary tried to lighten the mood, hoping Danny wouldn't question her about anything else, but he wasn't going to let it go.

"Tell me what happened with your father today."

"It was nothing--a fluke meeting. I just overreacted." She'd gotten good at making excuses for her father and even after all these years they rolled easily off her tongue, but Danny knew her better than anyone.

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

Mary shook her head from side to side and Danny pressed on, "Did he hurt you? Did he say something to you?"

Mary's breath hitched and the tears she'd been trying so hard to tamp down started in earnest. It was difficult at first for Danny to understand everything she was saying, but when she told him about the comments her father had made his blood began to boil. Mary held onto him tighter then and he wasn't sure if it was for her own comfort or for his since Danny was sure she could feel his body vibrating with rage.

"How could he know about her, Danny?" Mary asked quietly. "How could he know?"

"He doesn't, sweetie," Danny tried to reassure her, placing soft kisses against her temple. "He was trying to scare you because he's a sick monster. I promise you that he is never going to come near her–NEVER."

Somewhat calmed by Danny's assurances, Mary continued her story, "I called the church as soon as I got home. I saw the name on one of the kids' shirts and I called them."

"That's good," Danny was glad that Mary was finally overcoming her fear enough to try to stop her father from doing damage to anyone else. He knew she'd told her stepmother a few years ago, but he hoped this latest call was another huge step in her healing process.

"Not really. They were expecting my call. Apparently, he'd told them all about me."

"He actually admitted to everything?" Danny asked in disbelief.

"No, he told them we were estranged. That I'd had a lot of problems growing up–drugs, promiscuity--and when he'd tried to reign me in I'd lashed out by making up horrible lies about him."

"That's outrageous, Mary. How could anyone think…," Danny was stunned. He couldn't understand how anyone could believe the lies that spilled from that man's mouth.

"It doesn't matter. It's my word against his now. I should have gone to the police when it happened, but I was too ashamed–guess things haven't changed much, huh?"

Danny tightened his embrace, trying to give her as much support as she needed, knowing that any hope of a breakthrough for Mary was all but gone.

"I just want him gone, Danny. I just want him out of our lives forever," Mary said softly, finally succumbing to the exhaustion of the past few hours.

Danny held her until he was sure she was asleep before tucking her in securely and leaving the room. Picking up the kitchen phone, he dialed a familiar number.

"Hey, Mitch. I need you to find me an address."


	42. Chapter 42

- 42 -

"Hey."

"Hey," Mary responded as she waited for Sam to catch up with her. "Have you seen Danny?"

"Not lately. Something wrong?"

"No, he just left before I was up this morning and we've been trading messages all day. I just want to make sure that everything is okay."

"Shouldn't he be worrying about you?"

"I just meant…I don't know, I just don't want him to do anything stupid. When it comes to my father Danny has a really short fuse."

"Can you blame him?"

Mary stopped walking and looked at Sam warily, not sure how much her friend had figured out. Danny had promised Mary a long time ago that it was her story to tell and she had no doubt that was a promise he had kept, but Sam was smart and with everything she'd witnessed between Mary and her father it was probably pretty easy to come to some reasonable conclusions.

Sensing her friends uneasiness, Sam decided to just get it out in the open, "Look, Mary, you don't have to get into specifics with me, but I know your father hurt you and it's obvious that you've been letting whatever happened fester inside of you. Have you ever talked to anyone about what happened?"

"Danny knows everything."

"I'm not talking about Danny. I'm talking about a counselor or the cops or someone."

"No. I couldn't…it was…I just couldn't." The sick feeling formed again in the pit of her stomach and she was fifteen all over again.

"Well, maybe you need to think about doing that. You're not a child anymore, Mary. You need to realize that he can't hurt you like that ever again. Besides the fact that all of us have your back, you're stronger now. You can't let him get away with this forever."

"He already has," Mary said quietly, her eyes brimming with tears before she took a deep breath and continued, "I did some research after the last time he showed up. The statute of limitations has run, Sam. Even if I wanted to go to the police it wouldn't matter. I told his wife everything a couple of years ago and I tried to call the church he was with yesterday, but they wouldn't listen. This is what I was afraid of all those years ago…that no one would believe me and yesterday that all just came crashing back."

"Mary, there are still ways you can fight back."

"I don't know, Sam…"

Before Mary could respond, Sam's phone vibrated and after a quick look at the display she turned back to her friend. "Look, I've got to go. Think about what I said. There has to be a way for you to convince them you're telling the truth."

Mary watched Sam hurry across the casino floor. She was right. Mary had been unable to concentrate all day--her mind racing with thoughts of her past and how it might affect her future. She'd told Danny she wanted her father out of their lives, but the truth was she'd never truly be at peace as long as she knew he might be out there hurting someone else. Mary had been too afraid to stop him all those years ago and now there was no way for her to know how many others had suffered as a result. She'd taken small steps in the last few years, but it was time to move forward and she knew there was only one way to truly put him behind her.

Her decision made, she grabbed her purse from her office, left a message for Danny and headed out of the casino. There was no way she would let her father make her the villain in all this. She could prove his story was full of lies and maybe if she could show them that, they'd believe the rest of what she had to say.

---

It was a quarter to four by the time Danny had a moment to take a break. They'd had to call Metro seven times in the last six hours–a new casino record. It seemed like the cheaters and drunks had decided the Montecito was the place to be today and had set about to cause Danny and his team all kinds of hell. Finally alone in his office, Danny pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and stared at it. He'd been up all night thinking about the threat Frank Connell posed to his family. He'd told him before that if he ever touched Mary again he'd kill him and when Danny had left the house that morning, address in hand, he'd had every intention of making good on that threat. But a call from Mike had sent him immediately into work and he'd had little time to think all day. Now that things had calmed down, the rage consumed him again and he grabbed his jacket and headed out of his office.

"Hey, Mike, you got things under control?"

"Yeah, sure, you taking off?"

"I need to take care of something. Can I borrow your truck?"

"Uhm…"

"Come on. I'll give you the keys to my car and we can trade back tomorrow."

"Uh, okay," Mike responded hesitantly, "I guess."

"Thanks," Danny tossed his keys to Mike and grabbed his in return.

---

"Ms. Connell?"

Mary sat up straight, on the edge of her seat in the tiny church office. "It's Mrs. McCoy now," she responded.

"Mrs. McCoy, I'm Mason Greggs. I'm the deacon here at Church on the Rock. How can I help you?"

"Mr. Greggs, I spoke with Reverend Perry yesterday about my father Frank Connell."

"Yes, Frank. Wonderful man."

Goosebumps dotted Mary's flesh as a sudden chill ran down her spine. She took a deep breath before speaking again, "Mr. Greggs…"

"Look, Mrs. McCoy. I'm aware that there is some bad blood between you and your father--he's told us as much–so if you're here to make trouble for him..."

"Sir, everything he's told you is a lie," Mary cut him off, suddenly finding a renewed sense of confidence. "The only problem I had growing up was having a monster for a father."

"Mrs. McCoy…"

"No, let me finish. I've brought records," Mary opened the manila folder she'd brought with her and began handing him various sheets of paper, "…transcripts from high school as well as college. As you can see I was an A student, Salutatorian of my class…I was co-captain of the cheerleading squad, a student council officer and I volunteered with various charity organizations. I was accepted to UNLV on a full scholarship. Does this look to you like the story of a troubled teen?"

Mr. Greggs skimmed each document, taking note of the various recommendation letters from her teachers and professors. "No, it doesn't which is why I find it hard to believe that Frank Connell could have been anything other than a devoted and supporting father."

"Everything I did, I did in spite of my father." Mary's voice was hard now and she waited for Mr. Greggs to look up and meet her eyes. "He did unspeakable things to me…things no little girl should ever have to endure, especially at the hands of the one person who is supposed to protect her unconditionally. And if it wasn't for my dear friend," Mary's voice softened, "my husband now-- and _his_ father I probably wouldn't be here today. I probably wouldn't have survived that nightmare."

"Why now? You seem to have moved on with your life," Mr. Greggs still had his doubts.

"Because today I realized that despite all of my successes I am still that scared little girl praying to God that tonight won't be one of Daddy's 'special nights'. I'm proud of who I've become, Mr. Greggs, but there's one thing I'm not proud of. This has gone on for too long. I'm sorry that I didn't go to the police all those years ago, but I was frightened and ashamed. I didn't want people to look at me differently and I've spent the last ten years trying to forget, trying to live a normal life, but the shame never goes away and now it's for something entirely different. I know that every day that goes by without me trying to stop him only makes it worse. So you can choose to believe me or not, but when it happens--and it will happen–you can't say that I didn't warn you." Mary didn't wait for a reply, she'd said all she could and now it was up to him.

As he watched her leave the room, Mr. Greggs looked at the records Mary had brought, sifting through the grades and the glowing college recommendations and scholarship notices. How could this be? How could this beautiful, intelligent young woman that had just sat before him and the one reflected in the file be the same horrible girl Frank had warned them about. But in that same vain, he was still having problems reconciling the man he'd come to consider a friend with the picture that this woman painted. He'd invited Frank into his home, they'd broken bread and worshipped together. Frank had been a mentor and tutor to his own daughter Jessica. Suddenly a horrible thought passed through his mind. Picking up his desk phone he dialed a familiar number, "Hey, sweetie. Can you come by the office on your way home? I need to ask you something."

---

Danny watched the house from his position parked down the street. He knew Frank Connell was home, he'd seen him pull up and retreat inside just a few minutes earlier. The only question now was why Danny was still sitting here when he should be inside?

A tap on the passenger side window startled him out of his thoughts and he turned to see his boss standing outside on the sidewalk. Unlocking the doors he waited for Ed to climb into the truck before asking, "What are you doing here?"

"Mitch gave me the address so I came to check on Mike's truck. You don't have a very good track record with returning other people's vehicles in one piece."

Danny smiled to himself before turning serious again, "I just didn't want this guy to recognize my car and bolt. Not before I had a chance to talk to him."

"Talk? That all you had planned?"

Suddenly, Danny was offended, "This doesn't concern you, Ed. You don't know anything about this…you don't know what he did to her."

There was no question who Danny was talking about. Ed knew there was a strain in Mary's relationship with her father and through the years he'd been able to glean bits and pieces from the others. He'd also learned from Delinda that there had been some sort of confrontation the day before at the mall. "No, I don't, but I do know that no matter how much he hurt her and no matter how much you want him to pay for it you can't take matters into your own hands."

"That's rich coming from you," Danny rolled his eyes. "If it was Delinda or Jillian…"

"I'd want to kill him and I've done things that if anyone knew about I'd be behind bars, but I was lucky."

Danny didn't respond, his eyes still fixed on the house.

"I don't want you to have to watch your little girl grow up from behind a plexiglass window, Danny. I want you to be perfectly clear on what it is you plan to accomplish in there because with the anger you're feeling right now… I just want you to be absolutely sure of what you're going to do before you go in there."

Danny took a deep breath. This was what had been bothering him all day. The consequences of his actions. He wanted to protect his family, but if he did this it may be the last thing he ever got to do for them. Was killing Frank Connell really worth a lifetime without them? Finally, he turned to Ed "I know if I start I won't be able to stop, Ed."

The older man shook his head in understanding and then smiled, "That's why I'm here. We're going to let Mr. Connell know that he is no longer welcome in Las Vegas. And if we happen to accidentally break his face a little bit in the process…"

Danny smiled again before he looked back down the street, disappointment crossing his features, "Well, whatever we do it'll have to be another day–looks like he's got company."

---

Mary pulled into the driveway, immediately noticing Mike's truck parked in the garage. She assumed that meant Danny was already home and she wondered what had happened to his car. She could hear the lawnmower going in the backyard and headed through the side gate in search of her husband.

"Hey," she yelled over the noise to get his attention.

Danny killed the engine as Mary walked over to give him a slight peck on the lips.

"I'm all sweaty," he protested.

"I don't mind," she said, leaning up to give him another kiss. "You almost finished?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to put on my swimsuit. You wanna join me in the pool? I have a lot to tell you." The weight that she'd been carrying around for all these years was finally lifted and she couldn't wait to tell Danny about her breakthrough or about her visit with Mason Greggs.

"Yeah, there's something I want to talk to you about too," Danny said as he watched her walk inside.

Mary had barely made it through the living room when she heard the doorbell ring and as she pulled open the front door she was shocked to see two uniformed police officers on their front porch.

"Mary Connell?"

"McCoy," she responded absently, her gaze questioning.

Danny was immediately behind her, having seen the squad car over the fence. "What's going on?"

"I could ask you the same question, Danny."

It was then both of them finally noticed the third person approaching from the driveway.

"Jenny?" Danny asked, still confused.

"When was the last time either of you saw Frank Connell?"

"Why?"

"Because he's dead."


	43. Chapter 43

_**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. We're approaching the end of this story so I hope everyone enjoys the last few chapters as much as they have the others.**_

-43-

"Ms. Connell."

"Mrs. McCoy," Mary corrected her again. It was becoming obvious that Jenny had a problem with Mary that went beyond her involvement in this investigation.

"Tell me again why you went to see Mason Greggs today?"

"I had information about my father that I thought the church should be aware of."

"What information?"

Mary dropped her head into her hands and leaned her elbows on the table. She'd been in here for hours, telling Jenny the same things over and over again. Either she didn't believe her or it wasn't what the Detective wanted to hear.

"My answers haven't changed since the last six times you asked me. What is it that you want me to say?"

"I just want the truth."

"And I've given it to you!" Mary tried to control the level of her voice, but she was on the verge of losing it with this woman. When the police had shown up at the house she'd been immediately separated from Danny and they'd both been brought in separate cars to the station. She could only assume that Danny was being questioned in much the same manner in another room.

"Why did you decide all of a sudden to come forward with these allegations against your father? And why to Mr. Greggs? Why not to the police?"

"I knew the police couldn't do anything about what happened to me. The statute had already expired, but my father was working with children and I felt that Mr. Greggs was in a position to stop him. I had no idea that he would kill him."

"So you didn't know that your father had been abusing Jessica Greggs?"

"What?" Mary asked in disbelief. "Omigod…I didn't know." Her eyes began to tear up as she was faced with the reality of her inaction, but Jenny didn't give her much time to dwell on it.

"You mean to tell me it was just a coincidence that Mr. Greggs found out right after you left his office, just a coincidence that two hours after he spoke with you he shot your father in the head? Just a coincidence that your husband," Jenny spat the word, "was seen outside your father's house just moments before the murder."

"Danny was there?"

"What the hell kind of a game are you playing, Mary?"

"I…I …," Mary didn't know what to say.

"Right now we're looking at charging you with failing to report a crime and possibly obstruction of justice."

"What? Why?"

"If in fact your father abused you then you had a duty to report it to the proper authorities. Now, if you cooperate and tell me what really happened with Mr. Greggs today and how Danny is involved then I can try to help you."

Suddenly, Mary's resolve fell back into place. There was no way she was going to let this woman scare her into admitting something that wasn't true and Mary refused to let it go on one minute longer. "Do you really think I'm that stupid, Detective? That I'm so weak-minded I would let you trick me into saying something that's absolutely not true. If you think you have something on me then arrest me…otherwise, I'm done talking. I want a lawyer."

"Detective."

"Chief Ross," Jenny said as both women looked up at the older gentlemen who had just entered the room.

"I'd like to see you outside Detective Cho." Giving Mary another disgusted glance, Jenny headed out into the hallway with the man who was obviously her superior, closing the door behind them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in there?"

"I'm questioning a suspect."

"Suspect? We've already got a confession from Mason Greggs."

"Sir, I think there's more to this than meets the eye. I think Mary Connell was looking for someone to get rid of her father and Mason Greggs was the perfect scapegoat."

"You're walking a very fine line, Detective."

"Sir, I have witnesses that put Danny McCoy on Frank Connell's street moments before the murder and I'm convinced that she told him about the abuse of his daughter in the hopes that he would do harm to Frank Connell. Danny was there to make sure that it happened."

"I think you're letting your personal connection to this case cloud your judgment. You seem awfully anxious to pin something on these people."

"Because I know Danny McCoy and I know he's not above taking the law into his own hands. This time he just found someone else to do the dirty work. If you'd just give me a little more time with her I know I can get something." Jenny was desperate and she hated that she could hear it in her voice.

"You're not getting anymore time tonight. She's lawyered up and unless you're prepared to book her on solicitation of murder or as an accomplice you need to release her. I will not let you charge an abuse victim for failing to report it. That would be a PR nightmare for this department. Get her official statement and then send her home."

"What about Danny?"

"He's given his statement and I'm satisfied with it for now. Unless we get information out of Mason Greggs that implicates the McCoys in all of this then we're done, Detective Cho."

---  
The ride home was made in silence. Mary and Danny sat side by side in the back of the squad car, both of her hands holding one of his tightly as it rested on her knee. Danny had realized long before Mary that they needed a lawyer to stop this mess. Ed had called in a favor and the guy had arrived right about the time they had decided to let them both go. Danny was furious that Mary had been subjected to the same relentless grilling as he had and all at the hands of a woman he had once cared about.

Neither one had said a word as Danny let them in the front door, but as he watched Mary walk towards the kitchen, he finally spoke.

"Mary, I'm so sorry. Jenny's just trying to get back at me. She's on some sort of power trip."

"Yeah you sure know how to pick 'em," Mary responded absently as she looked in the fridge for something to eat.

She didn't realize Danny was right behind her until she felt his arms wrap around her shoulders. "Don't I get some credit for getting it right in the end," he said softly in her ear.

Mary let herself relax–her head falling back against his chest. Turning in his embrace, she sighed as she felt Danny's strong arms hold her tight, their bodies swaying to an unheard rhythm. She knew there were so many things they needed to talk about, but right now all she wanted was for Danny to make love to her and she hoped he would understand her need for intimacy more than words in this moment. Silently she moved her hands to the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head–desperate to feel the heat of his skin.

They made it as far as the couch–making love there first before moving to their bed. Despite their exhaustion, neither one had been able to sleep–the events of the previous day weighing heavily on both of their minds. Mary lay on her side, her head resting in the crook of Danny's arm, her body pressed tightly against him. Every once in a while Danny could feel something push against his side and he realized with a smile that it was the baby making her presence known.

"I can't believe he's really gone. I should feel something, shouldn't I? I mean I feel bad for Mr. Greggs, but when I think about my father–I just can't bring myself to feel sorry that he's dead. Is that terrible of me?"

"No," he responded, absently running his fingers through her silken hair. "I'm just sorry that it wasn't me that took care of him. It _should_ have been me."

"You can't mean that, Danny."

"I was so angry today, Mary–when I went to his house-- I wanted him to pay for hurting you, for scaring you, for making you think that he might hurt our daughter, but I let Ed talk me out of it. I couldn't do what needed to be done. I couldn't end it."

Mary propped herself up on her elbow so she could look him in the eyes, "Danny, listen to what you're saying. If it had been you then my father would have succeeded in ruining our lives–just like he ruined the Greggs. Is that what you would have wanted?"

Danny could only respond with a shake of his head, his throat was closing up with emotion and he reached for Mary–bringing her face to his until his lips touched her forehead in a gesture he had always reserved only for her.

"Just because you stopped yourself from killing my father doesn't mean you love us any less than Mr. Greggs loves his family and it only makes me love you more. He made a bad decision today and he and his family are going to have to live with that. I just hope there's a way for me to help him."

Before Danny could respond the phone rang, startling them both. "Who could be calling this early? Hello," Danny listened intently, his brow furrowing. "NO COMMENT," he said loudly before disconnecting the call.

Mary looked at him confused, waiting for an explanation, but before he could speak a light outside the window caught her attention. Pulling herself from the bed she crossed the room and opened the blinds–immediately noticing the news van parked in front of the house.

"Danny, what's going on?" she asked as the phone started to ring again. Danny joined Mary at the window, a frown marring his features as he quickly connected then disconnected the call–before leaving the phone off the hook. Suddenly, he heard his cell phone vibrating on the nightstand and he groaned–hoping that it wasn't another reporter. Noticing Ed's name on the caller ID, he answered. Mary walked to the living room, making sure the front door was locked and all the shades were drawn. She wasn't sure what to expect. She'd never been besieged by reporters before, but she was pretty sure that was exactly what was about to happen. She had just finished pulling the curtains closed in the dining room when Danny walked in.

"I just talked to Ed. Apparently, what happened yesterday is big news and someone released your name to the press. Reporters have already been calling the Montecito trying to get information on both of us. They know about me being at the scene and they know about the abuse allegations–from both you and Jessica."

"The police are not supposed to release information on abuse victims, Danny. They promised me last night that everything in my statement would be kept confidential. I mean, I knew it was going to come out eventually, especially if there was a trial, but not like this. How could the press get their hands on it?"

"I have an idea," Danny grumbled, reflecting once again on his lousy taste in women.

"Look, everything's going to be okay, but until this whole thing blows over we definitely can't stay here. Get dressed and pack a bag."


	44. Chapter 44

-44-

_RESPECTED DEACON MURDERS_ _PARISHIONER_

_By: Jason Smith_

_Mason Greggs, Deacon of Church on the Rock, is being held in the Clark County Detention Center pending murder charges. Greggs confessed to the murder of Frank Connell, 56, who was shot dead in his home yesterday. Sources inside the Las Vegas Police Department tell us that Mr. Greggs was under the belief that Frank Connell was abusing his 16 year old daughter. Police are also investigating Mr. Connell's daughter, the manager of a prominent Las Vegas Strip hotel, in connection with the murder and believe she and her husband may have been involved. According to the unnamed source, Mr. Connell's daughter visited with Mr. _

_Greggs shortly before the murder and her husband was seen outside the murder scene just moments before the suspect arrived. _

_Frank Connell was a life-long Las Vegas native and worked as a claims auditor for Desert Casualty & Life. He was divorced and had been an active member of the Church on the Rock for close to a year. People who knew the victim said he was a pleasant man who devoted many hours to the youth organizations of the church, taking a special interest in troubled teens. Funeral services are pending._

---

Danny tossed the newspaper in the trash as he stepped off the elevator into the security room. After making sure Mary was safely in her office he'd had to make his way through a sea of people, all of them concerned and well-meaning. He was thankful that they had so many people on their side, but at this point he just wanted to forget about the mess Frank Connell had created and concentrate on something else.

"Hey, Mitch. Keep an eye out for reporters. I don't want anyone bothering Mary today."

"You got it, Danny."

He could see Ed already waiting in this office and he quickly ran up the stairs to meet him, "Can you believe this crap?" Danny asked, nodding towards the newspaper Ed held in his hand.

"Technically, they didn't mention her name."

"They might as well have. It's not hard from the information in that article to figure out who she is. She's still known as Connell as far as the hotel is concerned. I know Jenny did this and I'm not going to let her get away with it."

"They're looking into the leak. If it was Jenny…," Ed started to say, but Danny interrupted him.

"It was, Ed. There's no doubt in my mind."

"Then she'll be dealt with. She's already made an ass out of herself to the higher ups by trying to push these bogus charges against Mary. I talked to the chief and the DA this morning and they're not planning on building a case against either one of you."

Danny had hoped as much. It still made him sick to think about what had happened to Mary and what had been happening to Jessica Greggs until yesterday. He was glad now that Ed had been there with him the day before. Mary was on the road to conquering her demons and Danny knew he could protect his family better if he was actually with them instead of rotting in a jail cell. Unfortunately, Mason Greggs had been faced with the reality of what was being done to his daughter and he'd reacted in the moment, bringing even further heartache to an already tragic situation.

"Greggs' attorney is going to argue temporary insanity," Ed interrupted his thoughts.

"Mary's already said she wants to testify," Danny told him. He wasn't thrilled about her having to relive what had been done to her, but if it was what she needed to do to heal then he would be right there beside her.

"She may not have to. The DA sounded like he was hoping to make a deal. The police are figuring out pretty quickly that Frank Connell was not the fine citizen the papers are making him out to be. They've already had two other women come forward saying that he abused them. Between Mary's statement and what they've learned from Jessica Greggs and the other women, they're perfectly willing to accept the insanity defense and plead him out on a lesser charge."

"Good, but I'm still worried about how this ordeal is going to affect her. She's kept this inside for so long, Ed. Going to Greggs was a big step, but now… for it to come out to everyone in such a public way."

"Mary's strong. She'll get through this, Danny."

"Yeah, if she could just concentrate on herself and not have to worry about the whole world knowing our business. God, Ed, we could barely get out of the house this morning. There were three news crews camped out in the culdesac."

"Mason Greggs is a well-respected member of the community and you know these papers are always hungry for something juicy. They've got beautiful girls, allegations of abuse, murder, betrayal. It's a big story right now."

"But it's not just a story, it's our life!" Danny was frustrated. It had been a nightmare trying to leave this morning. He was thankful that he still had Mike's truck because he'd actually had to drive across the lawn and over the curb to get out. What had bothered him the most was Mary–wringing her hands the whole ride in as she told him over and over again how sorry she was. He hated that she felt like any of this was her fault and he was determined to make sure that Jenny paid for pouring fuel on this already out of control fire.

"Look, Agent Davis called me last night. They're arraigning Myers and Paul Ford in New Jersey tomorrow on some of the Atlantic City charges. Why don't you head out there–take Mary with you and spend some time in New York–do some shopping, see a show. It might be the last chance the two of you get for a trip before the baby's born and it'll give this whole thing a chance to settle down."

"Bringing her face to face with the men who kidnapped and almost killed her isn't my idea of a nice getaway," Danny rolled his eyes.

"Mary doesn't have to go to the arraignment, smartass. Set her up in the spa for the morning while you go. Davis just thought one of us might want to be there."

"I'll talk to her."

"Well, do it quickly because Mikey's already booked you on the 3:00 o'clock flight," Ed said with a smile as he headed out of the office.

"Do I get to make any of my own decisions anymore?" Danny called after him.

"Did you ever?"

---

They had just reached their cruising altitude when Danny decided they needed to discuss names for the baby. Pulling the book out of her bag he'd started calling them out, thoroughly amused at Mary's curt responses.

"What about Alice?"

"Waitress."

"Amber?"

"Stripper."

"Angelina?"

"Homewrecker."

"Annie?"

"Danny and Annie?" she asked, scrunching her face up in annoyance. "Besides, they'll call her little orphan Annie–especially if she ends up with red hair."

"Agnes?"

"Let's move out of the A's."

Mary had not been thrilled about the trip to New York at first, but Danny had made such an effort to convince her that she couldn't say no. He was so cute when he was trying to get her excited about something. It wasn't that she didn't want to go, it was just that she felt like they were running away from their problems, but Danny had convinced her that the time away would be good for them and it had the added benefit of getting them away from the media frenzy while their fifteen minutes ran its course.

"Okay, little miss party pooper, why don't you tell me what kind of name you were leaning towards?"

"I don't know, Danny. Something traditional--elegant, but not too stuffy. Maybe something that can be shortened with a nickname."

"But nothing too cutesy, right?"

"Define cutesy," Mary asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Bethany, Brianna, Britney…"

"Well so much for the B's," she laughed.

"You really have no idea what you want? I thought all girls had their baby names picked out."

"I'm sure I had names I liked at some point–probably scrawled on one of my notebooks...maybe even the same notebook I practiced signing my name Mrs. Mary McCoy over and over again," Danny smirked at her admission, but let her continue. "…but that was a long time ago and it's such a big decision. We're responsible for picking out a name that she's going to have for the rest of her life, Danny. I just don't want to mess it up."

"Well, maybe it will just come to us, sweetie. Maybe we'll hear a name and we'll just know."

"Yeah, maybe." Mary couldn't figure out why this was suddenly bothering her so much. "We can still keep looking though. Why don't you skip to the C's."

"Celine, Ciara, Christina …," Danny recited and Mary couldn't help but chuckle..both at the names and her concern. Danny was right, the perfect name would come along and until then Mary refused to let herself worry about it.

"Charmaine, Chastity, Chiquita..."

This was going to be a long flight.

---

"Agent O'Dell. How's it going?"

"Danny," they two men exchanged handshakes. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. And call me Rob. I think we've moved beyond the formalities."

"It was a last minute decision. Have either one of them given you anymore information?"

"No--only that we'll never find Chester, he's a master of disguises, he'll turn up when we least expect it…blah, blah blah. By the way, I've been meaning to tell you. Good catch on the bug in my phone. I never would have suspected. You know, the only time I ever let that thing out of my sight is when it's charging in my office. I can't figure out how anyone could have gotten to it."

"Yeah, me neither. What kind of measures are you taking to isolate your leak?"

"We're re-vetting every employee from the Director to the janitor–so far we haven't come across any red flags. Plus, the agents involved in this case are routinely having their offices and phones checked for bugs."

"Will you keep me up to date?" It sounded like they were working every angle and Danny couldn't think of anything else they could be doing.

"Yeah sure. You know, we really appreciate everything you guys are doing on your end. I know Davis can be a hardass sometimes, but he really does want to put this case to bed. He recognizes that you and Ed can pursue avenues that we could only dream of."

"Yeah, the private sector does have its advantages," Danny smirked.

Both men looked up as they noticed Eric Myers being led into the room–his hands and feet bound by shackles. Danny looked at him hard, trying to get him to make eye contact so he could fix him with an intimidating glare, but Myers' gaze flitted around the room, finally resting on a figure seated in the back, his eyes growing wide in obvious surprise. Danny turned to follow his line of sight, noticing the young man who had caught his attention, but as soon as Myers saw that Danny was paying attention he quickly turned back to face the judge.

As the proceedings began, Danny leaned close and whispered to Agent O'Dell,  
"Hey, do you know who that guy is?" Agent O'Dell looked over his shoulder to the man Danny had indicated.

"That's Ryan Burns. He's one of our interns. His father is a big wig at the State Department. Why?"

"Myers seemed to recognize him."

"You don't think he could have been one of their future targets?"

"I'm not sure," Danny looked between the two men again, his mind working to make a connection. "Did anything show up in his vetting file?"

"No."

"Dig a little deeper. Something seems really off."

"I'll look into it. Where are you staying?"

"We're at the W. We'll be there until Monday."


	45. Chapter 45

**_Reviews make me happy so please let me know what you think. Emmy_**

-45-

"Omigod, Danny, this is ridiculous. The baby is going to be born before I get a frozen hot chocolate!"

"Calm down. Maybe we can come back later."

"It's pretty much like this all the time," the young man who stood in front of them helpfully supplied.

They had been standing in line at Serendipity for close to an hour and had yet to make any progress. If it were up to Danny they would have left twenty minutes ago, but he didn't dare suggest that they forego this stop on the itinerary. Mary had been talking about it since they got on the plane in Vegas and he valued his manhood too much to provoke one of her random hormonal tirades. He loved his wife more than life itself, but some days the hope that she would return to normal once the baby arrived was the only thing that kept him sane.

"Look, it's hot…you're tired...," he started but Mary interrupted.

"We're not leaving, Danny!"

"I wasn't even going to suggest that, sweetie, but I'm going to run right across the street and get you another bottle of water and then we'll just make the most of it. You can tell me what you've got planned for the rest of the weekend, okay?"

"Why are you talking to me like you're a hostage negotiator and I'm some psycho?"

He hadn't even realized he'd been using his "crazy Mary" voice. His eyes grew wide and his mouth opened and closed like a fish as he struggled for an explanation that wouldn't upset the delicate balance of his wife's current mood. Fortunately, he was saved from having to explain himself when Mary put her hand up, "…you know what–don't answer that. You said something about a water?"

"Be right back," Danny kissed her quickly and headed towards the small grocery across the street.

Mary sighed and leaned against the building facade as she watched Danny disappear inside the store. He had been so accommodating during their entire trip--not even complaining when she'd dragged him to see Lion King the night before–but she hated that he felt like he needed to walk on eggshells around her. She would definitely have to make it up to him later.

Huffing impatiently, she looked back at the long line. Delinda had spent a good half hour talking about how amazing this place was and Mary's mouth had been watering with the thought of anything chocolate, but this was too much. She was just about to say to hell with the whole thing and go after Danny when she heard her name.

"Mary Connell from the Montecito." It was a statement, not a question.

She turned to see the man who had called out to her exiting a black sedan and her mouth immediately fell open in surprise. "Mr. Seacrest? I can't believe you remember me."

"Of course I remember the most beautiful woman in Vegas."

Mary could feel herself blushing and she immediately felt guilty, looking over the man's shoulder to see if Danny was on his way back.

"Omigod!" the girl behind Mary suddenly said, "you're Ryan Seacrest!"

"Hey," he responded politely but started to glance around nervously. "Look, Mary, I have a feeling I'm about to be mobbed so why don't we move inside. I've been meaning to call you and set up a meeting so maybe we could do a preliminary one now while I wait for my friends."

"Well…okay, but there's a line."

"Mary, I'm a celebrity. We don't have to wait in line," he said confidently, gently taking her elbow and leading her towards the entrance.

"Actually, ummm, Ryan, I'm here with my husband. He should be back any minute now."

"Oh. I didn't realize you were married."

"Yeah and expecting," Mary told him, smoothing her billowy shirt down over her abdomen so he could see the evidence of her child.

"Oh." There was a hint of disappointment in his tone, but he hid it well. "Well, good for you, but hey, why don't you let me get you and….," he trailed off, looking at her expectantly.

"Danny."

"Yeah, Danny. Why don't you let me get the two of you in the door. It will be my little thank you for being so great during our Vegas auditions last season."

"I was just doing my job," she replied as Danny came jogging up. He had obviously thought Mary was being accosted and she smiled a little as she watched his expression relax when he noticed who the man was.

"Is she always this modest?" Ryan asked, reaching out to shake Danny's hand. "Ryan Seacrest."

"Pretty much. And we've met before…I'm Danny McCoy."

"Oh right…the security guard."

"Head of security," Danny bristled, wondering if this guy was playing him or if he really was that self-involved.

"Now, don't get fussy, big guy," Ryan patted Danny awkwardly on the arm and then turned towards the door, leaning over the hostess while he obviously tried to convince her of his prowess.

Mary could barely stifle her laughter when she noticed the irritated look on her husband's face. She quickly put herself between Ryan and Danny and leaned up to whisper into Danny's ear, "He's getting us in so be nice."

"Oh, I'll be nice….but I don't have to like it."

"I promise I'll make it up to you," Mary told him seductively, running her hands up his chest, across his shoulders and down his arms.

"How?" he asked, lacing their fingers together.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Mary giggled as Danny leaned down to capture her lips.

"You two going to join me or are you just going to stand here and make out all day?" Ryan asked, a look of amusement on his face.

"You didn't tell me that was an option. I may have to change my vote," Danny whispered, as Mary turned and followed Ryan inside, pulling Danny along behind her.

"You promised…," she sing-songed quietly so only he could hear.

"Right behind ya, buddy!" Danny shouted with fake enthusiasm causing Ryan and just about everyone else in the place to look at them strangely, but eliciting another giggle from his wife which was all that mattered to Danny.

---

"Geez, Mary, how much crap do we need for this thing?"

"Stop complaining. It's just stuff for a picnic, Danny."

"For how many people?"

"Well I am eating for two…"

"Two lumberjacks…" Danny grumbled.

"This is it. This is the perfect spot," Mary said, ignoring his attempt at humor.

"Oh, thank God," Danny exclaimed, dropping everything on the soft grass. He reached into the first bag and helped Mary spread out a soft blanket before taking both her hands so she could lower herself to her knees.

"Wow, the concierge did a great job putting this all together," Danny commented, as he watched Mary remove various containers from the bag. Joining her on the blanket, he pulled the lid off one of the bowls and popped a couple of grapes into his mouth.

"I can't believe you don't remember Hector. He used to work at the Bellagio."

Danny just shrugged as he started digging through the other bag looking for something to drink.

"So, this is like a symphony, huh?"

"It's the New York Philharmonic, Danny. They give concerts during the summer here in Central Park."

"Cool."

"You are so full of it, mister. I know you've been dreading this."

"I'm serious, Mary. It's a beautiful night. I've got my beautiful wife next to me…amazing food. That's all that really matters."

"It's all that matters to me too so as a thank you for not complaining about anything on this trip I got you a little treat."

"Mary, I've honestly been having fun. That Lion King thing was better than I thought it was going to be."

"Does that mean you don't want what I brought for you?"

"Well…," he drawled, "since you obviously went to some trouble, I wouldn't want whatever you brought me to go to waste."

"How kind of you," she responded, sarcastically.

"What is it?"

Mary reached into her bag and pulled out the tiny portable radio Hector had given her.  
"It should be tuned to the right station for the game."

"Are you serious?"

"I know you don't care anything about listening to the Philharmonic, Danny, but I love that you're here with me."

Danny looked up from the radio and leaned in to give Mary a soft, but lingering kiss. "I love that I'm here with you too."

As the music from the stage spread across the lawn, Danny laid back–his ear phones firmly in place and Mary curled against his side. This was definitely the life.

---

A few hours later, Danny was hurriedly tossing their things back into the bags.

"Did Agent O'Dell say what was so important?" Mary asked.

"No," Danny told her, quickly gathering the rest of their things and helping her to her feet, "but whatever it is he wants to meet at some bar in Newark rather than the FBI offices so that can't be good."

"Danny?" Mary was worried. The phone call had come towards the end of the concert and Mary could tell just by Danny's side of the conversation that whatever Agent O'Dell needed to discuss was serious.

"It'll be alright. You know the problems we've had with the FBI…I'm sure he's just being overly cautious."

"Maybe I should go with you?"

"You're exhausted, baby. It's been a long day so why don't you soak in a nice warm bath and I'll be back before you know it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," he said, finally hailing them a cab. "You know," he told her suggestively as they settled in the backseat, "you still owe me for the Seacrest thing."

Mary smiled then, leaning close to his ear so she could whisper seductively, "Well, hurry back and you just might get lucky."

---

The cab pulled to the corner and Danny reached into his pocket to pull out a couple of twenties. "Sorry I can't get you closer, buddy. There's something going on up there."

"Don't worry about it and keep the change," Danny told him distractedly as he watched the flashing red and blue lights up ahead. Making his way up the sidewalk and through the crowd an uneasy feeling began to settle in the pit of his stomach. When he reached a police barricade a half a block before the address Agent O'Dell had given him the knot moved from his stomach to his throat. Bystanders had gathered and were watching the scene with interest.

"What happened?" Danny asked one of them–an older man who looked like he'd been there awhile.

"Drive-by. Some guy got shot walking into that pub on the corner."

Danny could see the paramedics working on someone, but the only part of the victim that was visible were his shoes. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his phone and dialed Agent O'Dell. If he was somewhere in this mess of law enforcement then maybe he could either get Danny through the barricade or they could arrange to meet somewhere else. As he held the phone to his ear, he realized it sounded strange–almost as if he could hear it ringing somewhere in the distance as well as through the receiver. Looking back towards the scene, he noticed a uniformed police officer reach down to a bloody jacket on the ground and pull something out, flipping it open and holding it to the side of his face.

"Hello. Who am I speaking with?"

Danny heard the voice in his ear as he saw the officer speak into the phone. Snapping his phone shut he looked back at the man on the ground just as the paramedics pulled a yellow tarp over the body. This couldn't be happening. Had whatever Agent O'Dell discovered gotten him killed? Danny's eyes scanned the sea of faces for any sign of someone familiar, but no one stood out to him. Suddenly realizing he needed to get back to Mary as soon as possible, Danny took one last look around before pushing his way back through the crowd.


	46. Chapter 46

-46-

We're at the airport now, but the flight doesn't leave for another hour," Danny cradled his cell phone between his head and shoulder as he paid the girl at the counter.

"How's Mary taking all of this?"

"Not good, Ed. I'm really worried about her. She's hardly said a word since I told her. She just packed our things and waited for me to make the flight arrangements."

"She'll be alright, Danny. It's just been a bad week."

Danny snorted, "Yeah, more like a bad year."

"Well, it wasn't all bad."

"No, it wasn't," he couldn't help but smile as he thought about all the good things that had happened too.

"What did Davis say about the intern?"

"He was surprised. O'Dell didn't tell him what he was working on, but I know that has to be it, Ed. We had just talked about it at the arraignment. Did you come across anything?"

"Nothing more than what I told you earlier. The kid's really into computers and just happened to be in Monte Carlo last summer at the time of the heist there--pretty big coincidence, huh?"

"No kidding. Have things calmed down there?"

"Yes and no," Ed said cryptically.

"Can we at least get to the house without a media frenzy?" Danny had found his way back to the gate and was headed towards Mary who had not moved from her seat--still staring out at the lights of the airport.

"Yeah, but you still might want to leave the phone off the hook for now."

"Alright. I'm gonna go. We don't get in until 3AM so I'll call you later tomorrow."

Shoving his phone back in his pocket Danny sat down next to his wife, leaning closer to place a kiss to her temple, "Hey, baby. I got you some juice."

"Thanks," Mary took the juice from him, but made no move to open the bottle.

"Ed said things have calmed down a little bit since we left."

Ignoring his comment, Mary asked quietly, "Did he have any family?"

There was no question to whom she was referring and Danny answered with what he knew, "A sister I think."

"This is never going to end, is it? Just when we think it's almost over…it's never going to end." Her voice sounded hollow and it scared him.

"It will, Mary. We're going to find these guys."

"But how many more people are going to die?" She turned to look at him then, tears streaming down her face.

"Mary…"

"No, Danny," she stopped him, swiping at her tears. "Let's run away."

Her eyes had a desperate look now and Danny immediately reached out to her, sliding his hands around her neck and into her hair. "What are you talking about?"

"Let's just sell the house and move away. Maybe if we left Vegas…"

"Hey, I thought you were the one who said we needed our friends more than anything," he said, resting his forehead against hers.

"What good are friends if they're all dead because of you," Mary raised her voice and the few people seated near them turned to look.

"Sweetie, calm down. You're getting too upset." She had pulled away from him and Danny reached out for her hand, hoping to make a connection again. To bring her down from the emotional rollercoaster she seemed to be on at the moment.

"Please don't tell me to calm down. I think I've been more than calm during this whole ordeal…" Mary stood up and started to pace, but Danny stopped her, cradling her face in his hands and pressing soft kisses across her cheek.

"This is going to be over soon, Mary."

"How can you say that?" she asked, pulling away from him again. "You've been saying that for months, Danny, and yet here we are--another person dead. And on top of everything else…my father…," Mary's voice trailed off as more tears fell. "I just feel like I don't have any control anymore. Things are just spinning and I can't catch my breath." Her breathing was ragged now and she was trying desperately to hold back her sobs.

Danny immediately pulled her into his arms and pressed her chest to his–hoping to help her regulate her breathing by matching it to his. "Come on, baby. Deep even breaths–you can do it." It took a few moments, but Danny finally felt her breathing even out and the tension in her spine relax.

"I'm sorry," she said, quietly.

"Don't be. We never should have come here," he told her, reaching into his pocket for a napkin.

Once she had blown her nose, they sat back down and were silent for a few moments before Mary spoke again. "I was having a good time up until tonight."

"Yeah, me too," he smiled, glad she seemed to be relaxing again.

"And if we hadn't come here then you never would have known about the intern. Maybe it's the break they need, Danny."

"Yeah…maybe," he responded, hoping she was right.

"Maybe," Mary whispered again as she snuggled closer to her husband, both of them waiting in silence for their boarding call.

---

"Ryan Burns--son of Elliott Burns, former Ambassador to China and currently rumored to be next in line for Secretary of State," Mike rattled off as he Danny and Ed sat around the conference table.

"Well, that tells me about the father. Tell me more about the son."

"Good grades, graduated summa cum laude from University of Maryland, but according to high school counselors, a bit of a follower."

"No surprise there," Ed snorted, turning to Danny to relay his earlier conversation with Agent Davis, "They took him into custody early this morning and he was surprised to say the least. I'm guessing he thought O'Dell was the only one suspicious of him at that point and thought he hadn't had time to talk to anyone else about it. The just don't give you any credit, do they, kid?"

Danny smiled ruefully as Ed continued, "He probably thought if he took him out no one would even suspect it was him. The kid hadn't even disposed of the gun yet and a car matching the description of the one at the scene was found behind his house."

"Is he talking?" Danny asked, staring at the picture Davis had emailed.

"Not yet, but he will. According to Davis, the kid's an idiot."

Danny tossed the photo across the table, disgusted, "I'm beginning to think that Ford has an endless network of cronies out there doing his bidding."

Sensing the younger man's frustrations, Ed tried to reassure him, "We'll find him, Danny. He's bound to slip up---especially now that he doesn't have his inside man at the FBI anymore. We're pretty sure Burns was the one who planted the bugs and was monitoring the Agents' activities. He was the perfect plant. Good kid, low-level access, respectable background, father in the government…"

"Okay," Danny said, changing the subject for the time being, "what's going on with the Greggs deal?"

"The DA is going to make a deal with Mason Greggs. If he pleads to second degree murder they'll agree to the minimum sentencing. Greggs doesn't want to put anyone through a trial and fortunately the DA's not looking to make an example out of the poor guy."

"Good. What about Jenny?"

"Well, the reporter of the original set of articles won't reveal his source so without proof the chief refuses to reprimand her. He knows it's her, but he's worried about appearing too biased in our favor. I guess she's threatening to make a stink for the department now too so he's letting her do a little more digging as far as you and Mary, but he doesn't think she'll find anything."

"The hell, Ed? He's just giving my ex-girlfriend carte blanch to investigate my life."

"She's on a very short leash, Danny, so I wouldn't worry about it. And what the hell did you ever see in that girl?"

"Believe me, I've asked myself that many times over the last week."

"Alright, let's get back to the daily business. Mike, any news on that group of card counters that hit the Mirage on Friday?"

Danny rubbed his head, feeling the beginnings of a migraine coming on. He felt like they were taking two steps forward in one mess only to take three steps back into another. As soon as Ed finished briefing them on the day he went straight to his office to call Mary. He wanted to fill her in on the situation with Jenny as soon as possible so she wasn't blindsided by his former flame.

---

Mary had just hung up the phone with Danny when the intercom on her phone buzzed.

"Mary, there's a Detective Cho here to see you."

She hesitated a moment, contemplating whether or not she should call Danny before answering the receptionist, "I'll be right up."

She felt like she was taking her last walk before facing the firing squad as she made her way down the long hallway which housed the executive offices. Taking yet another deep breath she steeled herself for the meeting. She could do this. She was a grown woman-- manager of a billion dollar hotel; she could meet with this woman without Danny running interference. So why was her stomach still doing somersaults as she approached the lobby?

Noticing the woman's rigid frame immediately, Mary summoned all her strength and spoke, "Detective Cho, what can I do for you?"

"I have a few more questions."

"Do I need my lawyer?"

"Not unless you have something to hide," Jenny sneered.

Mary rolled her eyes in annoyance as she led Jenny back to her office. This was the perfect start to her day.

"Please have a seat," Mary told her, closing the office door behind them and moving to her desk, shuffling a few things around before taking a seat. "You had some questions?"

"Let's just cut through the crap, Mrs. McCoy," Jenny spat the name as if it burned her tongue. "I know you and Danny are covering something up."

"There's nothing to cover up, Detective. Thanks to you the entire world knows everything there is to know."

"Listen, this meeting is to…"

The detective's callous and condescending tone had helped to settle Mary's nerves and now she was just pissed. She refused to let this woman have the upper hand anymore. "No, you listen to me. I'm tired of you trying to intimidate me. And I'm tired of you trying to pin something on us. Danny and I had nothing to do with my father's death."

"You expect me to believe that? Everything he ever did–even when we were together–was worry about you. I have no doubt that he would do anything for you–even kill."

Jenny's eyes flashed in a challenge and Mary met her gaze with just as much fire, "You're right--I have no doubt that if the circumstances arose, Danny would kill to protect anyone that he loves, but that's not what happened. He went to talk to my father because he had frightened me the day before, but he didn't hurt him and he didn't even know Mason Greggs. End of story. So let's cut the crap as you say, Detective Cho, because I think you've got other issues."

"You're damn right I do. I want justice!" she screamed.

"For who? Frank Connell?" Mary stood from her desk, raising her voice in response, "What about justice for Jessica Greggs or for me or for all those other girls that he hurt? Or is it justice for yourself? Get off your high horse, Detective and find someone else to harass. I'm finished talking to you and I'm extremely close to lodging a complaint against the entire Las Vegas Police Department because of your conduct. Now get the hell out of my office before I have you thrown out."

"Don't threaten me. You don't get to decide when this interrogation is over!"

"Interrogation?" Mary asked in disbelief. "This is a cat fight with my husband in the middle. You can't stand that you lost Danny to me. You think I'm some sniveling, weak-minded little girl who needs Danny to protect her, but you're wrong. If you want to send another officer to interrogate me then go for it, but my dealings with you are over. You're not the only one who can go to the press. I can see the headline now…Police Detective Fabricates Charges Against Former Lover and Wife. I bet that would sell a lot of papers."

Jenny's expression faltered a bit and she tried to defend herself, not realizing how badly she was losing this battle, "I didn't tell them anything that wasn't true."

"You knew you had nothing so you tried to crucify both of us in the press. I'm pretty sure releasing information about abuse victims is against your department policy."

"Screw department policy!" she yelled, slamming her hand down hard on the desk, but Mary didn't flinch. "You had the brass eating out of your hand just like Danny. They wouldn't let me do anything so I had to force the issue. It was the only way."

Mary leaned both her hands on the desk, getting as close as she could to Jenny's face, "And where did it get you? Nowhere, because there's nothing to find."

Mary's look was hard and Jenny realized that she wasn't going to win this time, but when she made no move to leave, Mary took her seat and spoke again, "I believe you know the way out, Detective."

She didn't look up again until she heard the door slam. Taking several deep breaths, Mary brought her now trembling hands to her face. She couldn't believe she'd just said all those things, but the events of the last week, of the last few months really, had pushed her to a point of absolute rage. Once she'd calmed a bit, she reached across her desk and picked up her Dictaphone–hitting stop and popping out the tiny cassette tape. If the Chief of Police needed proof then that's exactly what Mary was going to give him. She was done messing around and it was time for her to start taking back some control.


	47. Chapter 47

-47-

"I'm just saying, Mary…you should have called me," Danny said as he turned the car down the long twisting drive lined with palm trees.

They were currently on their way to the country club for the co-ed baby shower Jillian and Ed had insisted on throwing for them. Well, actually Jillian had insisted and Ed had been forced to go along with the idea after being assured that he would not have to do anything that might threaten his masculinity.

"Let it go already, Danny. It's been almost a month. I was fine...I got Jenny to admit what she was doing and she's lost her job because of it and we're one step closer to putting that particular mess behind us."

Jenny's visit to the Montecito a few weeks before had enraged Danny and despite Mary's repeated assurances that she was okay, he couldn't seem to let it go. A call that afternoon from the DA informing them of the plea deal that had been reached with Mason Greggs had sent Danny into another tirade about Jenny and her meddling.

"I know I keep bringing it up, but I just don't like you handling things like that on your own."

"Excuse me," Mary argued, "I'm perfectly capable of…"

"Oh, you're more than capable, baby," Danny cut her off. "The way you handled her was amazing. Even the Chief of Police was impressed, but that doesn't keep me from worrying about you when things like that happen. This pregnancy hasn't been the easiest and you remember what the doctor said about your blood pressure. If I didn't feel better about having you close by during the day I'd try to make a case for you taking your maternity leave early."

"Danny, I've still got six weeks to go and besides–work is the least of my stressers at this point." Mary was still staring out the window and she didn't notice the look that settled on Danny's face, but there was no mistaking his mood when she heard his next words.

"I'm so sorry…about everything."

Turning to her husband, Mary softly ran her hand along his arm, "Danny, stop blaming yourself. None of this is your fault. We just have crummy luck." Since her seatbelt prevented her from kissing his face, she pulled his right hand from the wheel and brought it to her lips before placing it on the swell of her abdomen. As they pulled up to the club gate and Danny waited for the guard to issue their pass, he took the opportunity to unhook his seatbelt and lean across the seat–placing a much-needed kiss on his wife's lips. "I love you and all I've ever wanted to do is protect you."

"I know…I love you, too. And our luck is going to change. Just based on the law of averages---I would think it has to." They both smiled, lost in each other's eyes as the guard stuck the pass to the inside of the Camaro's windshield.

"Last cottage on the right, sir."

"Thanks," Danny said, heading down the driveway, his hand still resting on Mary's stomach.

---

Despite Jillian's attempt to turn the shower into a co-ed affair, the party had broken into two groups right after dinner. The girls were currently watching Mary open gifts while the guys had moved out to the veranda to discuss decidedly more manly things than binkies and breast pumps.

"That was Davis with an update," Danny said to Ed, closing his phone and rejoining the group, some of whom had lit up cigars.

"They get anything useful from that kid's confession?" Ed offered a cigar to Danny, but he refused, knowing that if Mary tasted one hint of that on his tongue he'd never hear the end of it.

"Some. Getting his father involved has really helped his 'memory' of certain things. Of course, it's taken them almost a month to convince Mr. Burns that his son could actually be involved in something like this."

"They're still keeping him in protective custody, right? We can't afford a repeat of the Hinojosa incident."

"Yeah, he's probably got more guards on him than the President right now."

"And Paul Ford? What about him?" Mike said, as he handed Danny a beer.

Danny shook his head no before answering, "I think he'll probably go to his grave protecting his brother. The good news is that Burns Sr. apparently owns quite a few pieces of property around the world and they're hoping Chester might be using one of them to hide out."

Mike was still focused on his friend's latest refusal, "What's up with you, man? No cigar, no beer…I think you're officially whipped."

"Ever since Mary got pregnant the taste of cigars makes her sick and the doctor doesn't want her driving anymore so I need to stay sober."

A few of the other guys rolled their eyes and Danny's friend Roger snorted in laughter, encouraging the others to join him in taunting Danny with shouts of "whipped" and a few comments about apron strings. Ed watched Danny's features change from calm to annoyed before the younger man walked to the edge of the patio, staring out at the golf course, "Say whatever the hell you want, but I have a hard enough time keeping my wife safe from _outside_ influences. I'm not going to risk her life by being stupid."

All the guys fell silent and Ed noticed the contrite looks on everyone's faces. Mike was the first one to speak, "I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean…"

"No, I'm sorry," Danny sighed, turning back around to face his friends. "I didn't mean to snap at you–at any of you," he insisted, looking at Roger. "I've just been on edge lately."

"It's okay, man. I was just teasing you," Roger clapped him on the shoulder and held out his hand for Danny to shake. "I was a nervous wreck before both my kids were born and I didn't have near as many things going on as you do."

Before anyone could say anything else there was a tap on the French door and Jillian's smiling face beckoned them back inside.

"Gentlemen," Ed broke the awkward silence, "I think it's time to rejoin the ladies."

---

"Please tell me that's not for the baby," Danny laughed as he noticed Mary holding up a lacy red teddy.

"Actually," Delinda broke in, "that's for you, Daddy."

"Thanks, but red really isn't my color," Danny deadpanned.

"Very funny. I just thought you and Mary might want something to look forward to after the baby comes."

"You mean poopy diapers and 3AM feedings aren't enough?" Danny teased, taking a seat next to Mary who was still surrounded by boxes, bags and tissue paper. "What else did we get?"

"Danny, don't be rude," Mary scolded.

"What? I just want to make sure none of our friends are cheapskates," Danny told her, peeking into some of the larger bags.

"It takes one to know one, McCoy," someone yelled from the back, eliciting a round of laughter from the group.

"Well, there is still one more present," Ed told them, heading for the door.

"I'm pretty sure we got them all, Ed," Mary said, looking around the room to see if there was anything left unwrapped.

"No, Jillian and I got you a car seat."

"Eddie," Jillian said, shocked. "You're not supposed to tell them. They're supposed to open it."

"Well, I figured they'd be a little distracted by the wrapping so I wanted to make sure they knew what was inside." Jillian rolled her eyes at Ed's explanation, but she couldn't help but smile. He would never let anyone know it, but Ed had spent weeks searching for the perfect gift. He had even gone online and done all the research himself. 

"So, what are you waiting for?" he questioned gruffly, holding the door open. "The gift's outside."

"Outside?" Mary asked as they all got up to follow, "Why would you leave the car seat out….," Mary's voice trailed off as her jaw dropped to the floor. Sitting in front of the cottage was a brand new silver Volvo SUV wrapped in a huge pink bow.

"Omigod," Mary whispered to herself, tears forming in her eyes.

Danny was decidedly less subtle with his declaration of "Holy crap."

Everyone stood along the porch as Ed walked to the car and opened up the back door. "See? Top of the line--safest car seat on the market," he said, pointing to the carrier already securely fastened into the backseat. When Mary and Danny were still speechless he smiled, "And the Volvo got pretty high ratings too."

"Ed," Mary finally found her voice. "I don't know what to say? This is…this is too much."

"Nothing is too much for my grandbaby," he said, beaming from ear to ear and Mary launched herself into his arms, sobbing onto his shoulder. Uncomfortable with the display, Ed awkwardly patted Mary's back before his eyes met Danny's in a desperate plea, "Uhh, Danny, you wanna help me out here?"

Danny chuckled a bit as he pulled Mary from Ed and turned her into his own embrace, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes. "It's beautiful, Ed. Thank you so much."

"Yeah well," Ed started, but soon noticed that the crowd was watching him expectantly. "What's everyone staring at? Get back inside and eat some cake….NOW." That put an end to any emotional displays and everyone laughed a little as they filed back into the cottage to enjoy the rest of the shower.

Danny watched as Jillian put her arm around Mary and led her back inside, the younger woman still expressing how surprised and grateful she was.

"Don't you be going all gooey on me either, McCoy."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Danny assured him, but both men were still smiling.

"Because this was just a practical gift," Ed continued to explain. "A convertible's no place for a baby seat and that car of Mary's is getting old."

"We were planning on trading it in."

"Well, now you can just sell it and put the money in little Edwina's college fund."

"Edwina?" Danny asked, his eyes wide with horror.

"Did I forget to mention that part of the deal?"


	48. Chapter 48

_**Thanks for all the great reviews. We're almost to the end of this one--only a couple more chapters so please let me know what you think. **_

**_Emmy_**

-48-

"How long has he been in there?"

"Couple of hours."

"Okay, I'm goin' in. If I'm not back in an hour–send in reinforcements."

Mary chuckled as Mike held up the electric screwdriver like a weapon as he prepared to enter the nursery. Danny had been attempting to put the crib together for the better part of the morning, but as usual he refused to even look at the instruction manual. She was sure her husband could build a house from the ground up single-handedly just as long as he could do it logically–the way he thought it should be done. Unfortunately, the manufacturers of the baby furniture they'd purchased had different ideas about what was logical. He'd already put the thing together three times–each time with some important element missing–causing him to have to take it apart and start all over again.

In a fit of desperation, Mary had called Mike to come over and assist. It wasn't exactly the blind leading the blind–more like one self-proclaimed know-it-all leading another, but Mary hoped that Mike would at least look at the instructions so maybe they could get this thing finished before the baby was born.

Mary walked back to the kitchen–actually 'waddled' was probably more of an accurate description of how she was moving these days. She'd been in serious denial when Danny first teased her about it, but when she'd caught sight of herself in one of the mirrored walls at work she couldn't help but laugh. There was definitely something duck-like about her movements now.

Smoothing the fabric of her shirt down over her belly, Mary opened the fridge and pulled out everything she needed to start lunch. She'd invited the girls over later so that the five of them could enjoy some quality time together once Danny and Mike were finished. As Mary's blood pressure crept higher and higher in the last weeks of her pregnancy, the doctor had ordered her home and with Delinda and Sam taking on extra work in her absence, there hadn't been much time to visit. Plus the girls had been dying to see the nursery all put together ever since they'd gone with Mary to pick everything out.

Last weekend, Danny had painted the room a soothing, creamy yellow which served as the perfect background for the border of little flower fairies that Mary had stenciled around the room--Danny standing behind her on the step-ladder, of course, for fear she would fall. The room was going to be perfect, just as soon as Danny could put aside his pride and read the damn instructions.

---

Two hours later, Mary was putting the finishing touches on their mid-day feast when she realized she hadn't heard a sound out of the nursery in quite some time. The first hour had been marked by yelling and cursing so the silence disturbed her somewhat. Hoping that she wasn't going to come upon a scene of power tool induced carnage; she filled two glasses with lemonade and headed down the hall.

Pushing the door open, she couldn't help but gasp. The nursery was complete and Mike and Danny looked like they were just putting the finishing touches on things–Danny tying on the bumper pads while Mike filled the stacker hanging on the dresser with diapers.

Hearing her enter, Danny quickly stood, "I was about to come get you. What do you think?" he asked, smiling as he gave the pink daisy mobile a spin.

"Danny, everything looks beautiful," Mary gushed, running her hands along the pink chenille bedding before suddenly pressing down firmly on the crib rail and turning to her husband with a concerned look on her face, "Is it going to hold?"

"Mary," Danny sounded offended, "do you actually think I would let our baby sleep in anything that wasn't safe."

"Of course not, sweetie," she apologized, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing a quick kiss on his lips. Still in his arms, she sneakily turned her husband until she could make eye contact with the other occupant of the room. Unbeknownst to Danny, Mary shot Mike a questioning glare, her worries finally assuaged when he responded with a chuckle and a nod.

---

"So, have the two of you decided on a name yet?" Delinda asked, refilling her wine glass as they all sat around the living room.

"We've narrowed it down, but we haven't decided yet," Mary responded from her place on the couch. Danny had pulled her swollen feet into his lap and was currently massaging them, much to her delight.

"Edwina is out," Danny told them with a laugh, "but we decided it's definitely going to start with an 'E'-- in honor of your dad."

"Aww, he'll love that," Delinda said, truly touched that they'd chosen to honor her father that way.

"And the middle name is going to be Margaret…after Danny's mom," Mary added.

"So, 'something with an E' Margaret McCoy. What names start with an 'E'?"

"Elise, Emma, Evelyn, Elizabeth or Emily," Danny quickly recited.

"Emma is pretty and it goes well with Margaret," Sam commented.

"But Elizabeth is such a classic name," Delinda chimed in.

"I dated a girl named Elise," Mike added, "and she was mmm-mmm fine."

"Take that one off the list," Danny quickly said as the girls laughed and Mike looked confused.

Mary gave her husband a playful swat before turning back to their friends, "We like them all, but we're hoping that once she gets here we'll just know which one is right for her."

"You do realize she's not going to just introduce herself when she comes out, right?" Sam said sarcastically as the phone rang.

As Delinda smacked her with a throw pillow, Danny jumped up to answer the phone–disappearing into the kitchen. When he returned a few minutes later, Mary couldn't interpret the look on his face. He looked…stunned and she struggled to her feet, worried that something had happened.

"That was Ed," Danny said flatly, still not giving any clue to what was going on.

"Danny, what is it? Is it bad?"

"They got him," he said quietly, a tiny smile forming on his face, "They got Chester Ford."

Everyone was speechless so Danny took the opportunity to relay what he'd just heard from Ed, "Turkish authorities picked him up yesterday."

"They're sure it's him?" Mike asked.

"They ran his fingerprints through the computer and then contacted the FBI. It's definitely him. The FBI wanted to know if one of us wanted to be there when they bring him back."

"Do you need to go?" Mary questioned, understanding how important it was for Danny to see this thing through to the end.

"Mary, there's no way I'm leaving right now," Danny told her, placing his hands on both of her shoulders and leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "You could go into labor any day. Ed's already on his way and the FBI team will meet him there."

Danny couldn't help but wrap his arms tightly around his wife. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that Ford had been caught or just that Danny would not be leaving, but he could feel the tension leave her body and it was truly a wonderful thing.

---

"Welcome to Istanbul, Mr. Deline. Did you have a pleasant trip?"

"Yeah, sure…18 hours on a plane is always my idea of a good time," the police station was hot and dirty, much like Ed felt at the moment, and the man who was obviously in charge was far too jovial for his liking. "Have the FBI arrived yet?"

"They should be here momentarily. Would you like a moment with the prisoner before they arrive?" Ed met the other man's eyes and a brief moment of understanding passed between them. The law was very different in this part of the world and the chief was apparently giving Ed an opportunity to vent his frustrations before Ford was turned over to the American authorities.

"I would like nothing more. Lead the way."

"But of course…please follow me."

They walked through the bowels of the building, through several locked doors and then down a flight of stairs before arriving at another door. Unlocking several bolts, the Chief spoke again, "He is still denying that he is your Mr. Ford, but computers do not lie."

Ed followed him down a long row of cells, finally stopping in front of the last one, "Mr. Ford," the chief spoke in a heavy accent, "you have a visitor."

The moment the man looked up Ed's heart sank to the floor, "Who the hell is this?"

"That is Chester Ford," the jailer insisted.

"That is most definitely not Chester Ford."

"We ran the prints three times, Mr. Deline. They were a match."

"Jesus Christ," Ed yelled in frustration, just as two men he realized were from the FBI made their way down the hall, another jailer escorting them. "You have access to the FBI server?" Ed yelled, before they reached the cell.

"Yeah," one of the agents answered, the entire group now running back up to the offices.

"Pull it up, right now," Ed insisted as soon as they reached a computer terminal and the agent furiously typed in the IP address.

"I'm in," he said after a few seconds.

"Pull up the Ford file."

"You see…it is him," the police chief insisted again as the mug shot filled the screen.

The image was definitely of the man in the cell, but Ed and the agents both knew that the picture they were looking at was not Chester Ford.

"Get a hold of Davis. Tell him Ford has hacked into the database and changed his information."

"What is happening? I don't understand," the chief asked confused.

"You just learned an important lesson, chief," Ed told him, reaching for the telephone, "Computers do lie."

The phone rang once, twice, three times before the machine picked up,

_"Hi, you've reached the McCoys. Leave us a message and we'll call you back."_

"Danny! Where the hell are you? Pick up the phone…it's not Chester. He changed his info in the computer. He's still out there, Danny."

Danny slowly opened his eyes. Something had woken him, but in that hazy place between awareness and the dream world he couldn't quite figure out what it was. The sudden ringing of the phone caused him to startle and he quickly flipped over onto his back to reach for it–his progress halted by a burning stab of pain to his neck. Instinct had him reach towards the pain and his hand gripped what he knew to be the arm of an intruder. He violently struggled with the attacker, but only for a second. To Danny, it felt like everything was moving in slow motion, but he knew it must have been only a matter of seconds as every ounce of strength he possessed drained from his body, leaving him helpless and paralyzed.

Straining his eyes to the left, he could see Mary being pulled from their bed–almost hysterical as she stared back at his unmoving form. "DANNY!" Her scream was desperate and when his eyes met hers tears rolled down his cheeks as he realized there was nothing he could do to help her. Feeling a weight on the bed, he reluctantly tore his gaze from his wife to look into the face of pure evil–the face of Chester Ford.

"Hello, Danny. Long time no see."


	49. Chapter 49

This is the next to last chapter so please drop me a note and let me know if you're still enjoying the story. It gives me all sorts of warm fuzzies to read your reviews.

Chapter 49

"Why are you doing this?" Mary asked quietly as Chester removed her blindfold. They'd traveled by plane and then by car before being loaded onto a boat. Looking around warily as her eyes adjusted to the morning sunlight, all Mary could see was water. She wasn't quite sure where they were, but based on the time they'd spent traveling she knew that they must be somewhere off the Coast of California.

"Why not," her captor replied flippantly, tossing her a windbreaker when he noticed her shivering in the cold sea air.

At Mary's incredulous look, he decided to elaborate, "Look, everything would have been fine if that husband of yours had just minded his own business. He got you back–only slightly worse for wear I might add--and we got our money. Everybody should have been happy, but he just couldn't let it go. He had to keep pushing and pushing–taking out my men one by one."

"You took out your own men you sick son of a bitch," Mary spat back at him, her eyes still scanning the boat for any sign of Danny. She made note of the location of the second of her three kidnappers before looking back at Chester who now had an amused smirk on his face.

"You've gotten a bit more feisty since the last time we met…I kinda like that."

Mary rolled her eyes and turned her gaze back to the ocean, hoping that she could catch a glimpse of land and wondering how long they could survive in the water if that's what it came to.

"So, where was I? Oh yes…your husband's discovery of the identities of my men made it necessary for them to be eliminated. And now, I'm going to eliminate the two of you. Payback's a bitch, Mary."

She looked up at him then, stunned. Deep down she knew that he hadn't gone to all this trouble just to give them a warning, but hearing him actually say the words chilled her to the bone and her breathing became labored as her body shook almost uncontrollably.

"Please…whatever you're going to do. Please don't hurt my baby."

"Oh, my dear Mary," he responded, reaching out to caress her cheek. "I have no intention of hurting your baby. In fact, that's the one thing that's keeping you alive right now. Do you know how much babies are worth on the black market these days? I've got a buyer lined up who's going to pay $2 million for that little girl of yours. It's the least you and Danny can do for destroying what I spent years putting together."

"You're crazy," she screamed, anger overcoming her as she struck him hard across the face, but he didn't even flinch.

"Maybe…"

"What about Danny? Where is he? Is he dead?" She'd been blindfolded and separated from him as soon as they left the house, but she knew he'd been close by. The thought that he was still with her--that they hadn't left him at the house gave her hope that he was still alive, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Oh, he's alive--just a fun little dose of a neuromuscular blocker. He can see and hear, but he's pretty much paralyzed."

"Omigod," Mary gasped, realizing how terrifying that experience must be for her husband.

"Pretty cool, huh? I figured when we get about halfway to Baja, we'll give him another shot of the stuff and then throw him overboard."

"NO!" Mary shouted.

"Sorry…he's caused too many problems for me. I'm not inclined to give him any more chances."

Unable to control herself anymore, Mary broke down–her sobs overtaking her. Chester tried to ignore her, but it was no use, "Jesus, how does Danny live with all this blubbering?"

Chester's callous question was met with more crying and he finally relented, "Look, if I let you see him-- will you shut the hell up?"

Mary looked at him then, but still unable to battle her despair she only managed a nod. Chester grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the cabin.

"Don't say I never did anything for you," he commented as Mary slowly made her way down the steps to the cabin, her head just clearing the opening before the hatch was slammed shut behind her.

Noticing her husband propped up on the small bed, she rushed to him, "Danny…Danny, can you hear me?"

He didn't move, but his eyes met hers and she knew he was fully aware of everything that was happening around them. She wanted to tell him what was going on–what Chester's plans were–but she didn't want to cause him anymore anguish. It had to be killing him that there was nothing he could do to protect them. They needed a plan, but the middle of the ocean didn't leave many opportunities for escape and Mary wasn't sure there was any way she could overpower three men. Fear and despair finally threatened to overtake her again and she laid her head against Danny's chest, pulling his hand up until it rested on their child.

"I love you, Danny. I love you so much."

She felt something wet drop onto her hand and she looked up to see more tears running down his face. Witnessing her husband in such agony only served to strengthen her resolve. Reaching up she gently wiped the moisture away before framing his face in both of her hands.

"We're going to get out of this. I'm going to figure something out…I swear…," she covered his face in kisses, repeating over and over again, "I swear."

Awkwardly pulling herself from the bed, she searched the cabin for anything she could use as a weapon, but came up empty. She finally noticed the fire extinguisher attached to the wall and pulled it free, tucking it behind the cushions next to Danny. As she dug through the last cabinet, she felt a tightening in her belly that suddenly turned painful. Grabbing her middle, she doubled over–taking deep breaths until the feeling passed. She'd been having false contractions off and on for about a week, but somehow this felt different.

"No, no, no," she thought to herself. "Not now, baby…please don't do this now."

She looked back at Danny and the wild, panicked look in his eyes told her that he had noticed her wince and knew what was happening.

"I'm okay," she whispered to him, both of them glancing up suddenly as they heard footsteps above them. Mary decided that the third guy must be piloting the boat somewhere above them. She'd have to figure out a way to separate the three of them. With a lot of luck and a good dose of divine intervention Mary might be able to use the element of surprise to take them out one at a time, but if they all came at her at once she was doomed to fail.

"Stop playing with that thing!" She heard Chester yell just seconds before a whistling, whizzing sound filled the boat, followed by a loud pop somewhere high above them. It sounded like a firecracker and Mary couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but she pulled herself up the steps and put her ear to the hatch, straining to hear the conversation from on deck.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, RAY?" She heard someone else shout.

"I was just messing around, man. I didn't know it was going to go off."

"You idiot," Chester said. "You'll have every ship in a fifty mile radius thinking we're in distress and heading our way."

"Sorry…I didn't think of that."

"Yeah, you didn't think…." Suddenly, a gunshot sounded and Mary nearly fell back down the steps in her haste to get away from the door.

"Jesus, Chester. What did you do that for?"

"Because he was stupid, Grant, and obviously a liability. Besides…we don't need him anymore. Get McCoy up here and let's get him in the water before we have any unwanted company."

Mary heard them coming and ran back to Danny, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She knew their time was up and she had yet to come up with a plan to save them. "I'm so sorry, Danny. I don't know what to do."

Mary buried her face in his chest and cried quietly as she heard someone enter the small cabin. Turning her head to the side, she watched the man place a small pouch on the counter just as a feather light touch on her elbow caused her to shift her gaze down. She couldn't hide her surprise as she noticed Danny's thumb moving back and forth across her skin and tears filled her eyes when she saw how hard he was trying to fight his way back from the drugs in his system. She just needed to buy them a little more time.

"Please don't do this. Please, I'm begging you," she said, turning back to the man in the cabin.

"Just settle down. You're safe as long as you're still carrying that kid," he told her.

"But my husband. You can't just throw him overboard like this. He can't move–he'll drown."

"Yeah , that's the point."

"What's he paying you? We'll double it if you help us get out of here."

"Do you think I'm really that stupid, lady."

"I'm serious. Danny can get you however much you want if you just help us."

"Before or after he kills me."

"You're making a huge mistake by doing this. The whole world is going to know Chester's face after this and you'll be guilty by association."

"After tomorrow he won't have a face to know. You'd be surprised what money can buy-- now shut the hell up!" He grabbed her hard, ripping her from Danny and tossing her to the other side of the cabin. Mary moved to try to stop him, but another pain clamped down on her stomach and she fell back to the floor, waiting for it to pass.

She watched, helpless as the man hefted Danny over his shoulder and carried him back on deck.

"Put him down right here. I want to give him another dose before he goes in the water," Chester ordered. "Wouldn't want that stuff wearing off."

"It's in my bag…I'll be right back."

Grant's last statement caught Mary's attention and she struggled to her feet, tearing open the pouch and dumping its contents into the tiny sink. She found what she needed just as the hatch opened and the man dropped back down into the cabin.

"Hey, what are you doing!" he screamed, just as Mary pulled off the cap and plunged the needle into his jugular. He managed to grab hold of her before both of them fell to the floor in a tangled heap, Grant motionless while Mary struggled beneath him.

"Grant? What the hell's going on?"

Using all her strength, Mary pushed him off of her and began searching for the needle again. She must have dropped it in the scuffle and she needed to get it filled again before Chester came down. Tossing one of the cushions that had fallen on the floor Mary saw the needle and reached for it, her progress suddenly stopped by a violent pull to her hair.

"You bitch!"

She screamed as Chester pulled her to her feet–too far away from the needle for her to reach. Spinning her around he hit her hard across the face, sending her sprawling across the small bed.

"I've had it with all of this. I thought you wanted to save your baby, but now you're all going to die."

"NO!" Mary screamed. Turning to face him as he advanced on her she doused his face with foam from the extinguisher she'd hidden earlier. While Chester flailed around, trying to clear his eyes, Mary pushed past him out onto the deck, but it only took a moment for him to catch up. He grabbed her ankle, pulling her legs out from under her as she tried to get away. Dropping to his knees, Chester flipped Mary onto her back and she met his dark eyes briefly as he loomed over her preparing to deliver another blow.

"Hey, Chester!"

The sound of Danny's voice caused him to look up and that was all the time that was needed as he was sent flying back into the cabin in a hail of fire and sparks--a flare shot right through his heart.

Mary lay there for a few moments, her breathing ragged as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. Finally, rolling onto her side she looked behind her to see her husband, still lying like a rag doll propped against the back railing of the boat, his right arm out to the side and still gripping the flare gun.

"Danny?" she whispered in disbelief. A nod of his head sent Mary scrambling on her hands and knees towards her husband, sobs already racking her body again. Finally reaching him she laid her head against his chest as she felt his arms, obviously still weak, make their way around her.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's over, baby…" he breathlessly tried to soothe her, but his words were cut off by a small explosion from below. They both turned to see flames shooting up from the cabin and engulfing the controls.

"Danny?" Mary questioned, terrified.

"We've gotta get off this boat."


	50. Chapter 50

**I only got one review on the last chapter so does that mean people don't care how it ends anymore? The show's pretty much destroyed this relationship and I'm not holding out much hope for the new season. I've been working on a new story, but I'm not sure if I'll post it here. I've really enjoyed writing this and I hope that a few of you have gotten some enjoyment out of reading it. I really appreciate all the people who took the time to review and I hope I didn't disappoint. Thanks again.**

50

"Mary, look at me. Are you alright? Are you in a lot of pain?" Danny used both hands to gently pull her away from his chest so he could get a better idea of her condition. Her face was dirty and tear-streaked and blood was seeping from her mouth and nose, but a ghost of a smile was playing at her lips and that somehow gave him hope that she was going to be alright.

"I'm okay," she replied.

He gently touched his lips to hers, pulling back after only a moment so he could speak, "Do you think you can help me? I don't think I can walk yet."

"Tell me what to do."

"There should be life jackets in one of these benches and hopefully some kind of raft."

Mary struggled to her feet with minimal assistance from Danny and started going through every bench. "I found the raft, Danny!"

"Good," Danny tried to sound encouraging and positive, but the whole time he was keeping one eye on the growing inferno in the cabin. "Any life jackets?"

"Yeah, they're in here too."

"Okay, pull them out and then see what else you can find that we might need."

"What about the raft?"

"I'll get it," he told her, pulling himself across the deck using his gradually returning upper body strength.

"Danny? Are you sure?"

"Just keep looking, Mary. We need to hurry."

As Danny reached the bench and began maneuvering the rubber raft out of its compartment and onto the deck, Mary moved to another bench where she managed to locate some rope and a pocket knife. She added them to the pile before noticing the large ice chest–it was right outside the cabin and flames were already shooting from below the deck. Taking a deep breath she ran for it, grabbing the handle and trying desperately to drag it away from the flames.

"Mary!" Danny screamed when he noticed her so close to the fire.

Realizing that there was no way she could move the heavy cooler she decided to pull open the lid and see what was inside. Jackpot. It was loaded with water and Mary filled her arms with the plastic bottles before making her way back to Danny who was still struggling with the raft. Half way across the deck, pain gripped her like a vice and she stumbled, dropping to her knees while the water bottles went rolling across the deck.

"Mary! Mary?" Danny frantically called to her, but she couldn't answer him, she was in too much pain and she breathed in and out waiting for it to pass.

"Damnit, Mary! Answer me right now!"

Hearing the desperation in his words, Mary finally looked up and met Danny's frightened gaze. Crawling slowly on her hands and knees again, she collected the bottles one by one and made her way back to her husband. He reached for her, but she shifted from his touch. She knew he was scared--probably just as scared as she was, but she couldn't let him comfort her now. If she did, she may never be able to let go. Danny seemed to understand as he met her pleading look with a slight nod of his head. They needed to get off of this boat and then they could worry about what to do next.

Working together they managed to get the life raft unrolled and Danny looped the rope through one of the hooks and secured it to the back of the boat before releasing the valve that instantly inflated it with air. Grabbing the oar that had been wrapped inside, he tossed everything else into the raft before turning back to Mary who was struggling to fit the life jacket around her.

"You ready?" He asked, reaching to help her tie it as best that he could.

"Ready," she assured him, leaning in to give him one more kiss before climbing down the back ladder and into the raft. Finally able to use his legs Danny followed her, untying the rope that secured the small vessel and pushing them away from the sinking boat-- paddling with as much strength as he could muster.

They'd only moved about 20 feet when another explosion rocked the otherwise calm sea around them and Danny threw his body across Mary's, trying to shield her from the falling debris.

When the smoke cleared he looked back to see that the vessel they'd been aboard only moments before was all but destroyed. Turning his attention back to his wife, Danny noticed that her eyes were shut tightly as deep lines of pain and tension formed along her forehead and he softly caressed her cheek in an effort to soothe them away.

"Do you know how far apart they are, baby?"

She shook her head from side to side as she exhaled the breath she'd been holding, opening her eyes to look at Danny who was still hovering over her.

"Let's try to time them, okay?" He said in what he hoped was a calm and reassuring tone.

Mary nodded her head, but despite her husband's efforts her last threads of calm were slipping and she felt the tears starting to fall. She didn't want to lose control again--she knew that trying to relax was the most important thing right now, but somehow being in labor while stranded in a life raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was not an environment that lent itself to relaxation.

"Mary, sweetie, it's going to be okay. Between the flare earlier and the explosion someone's bound to have seen us."

"What if they don't get here in time, Danny? What if…"

"We'll worry about that if it happens. Right now I just want to concentrate on keeping you comfortable, okay?"

"Okay."

Danny kissed her forehead and then reached for one of the bottles of water. Handing it to her so she could drink, he ripped off a piece of his t-shirt and soaked it so he could wipe some of the blood and grime from Mary's face, his other hand holding hers tightly.

"Tell me how you feel."

"Dizzy."

"What do you mean?" That wasn't what he was expecting to hear.

"I…my head seems like it's spinning right now."

"Stay with me, sweetie." Danny looked around frantically and his eyes immediately noticed something in the distance. He hoped the sun wasn't playing tricks on him because it definitely looked like a boat headed their way. "Someone's coming, Mary."

"Okay," her voice sounded weak and Danny looked back to see her closing her eyes.

"Don't close your eyes. Just a little bit longer, baby," he yelled, looking back out to sea.

Danny felt Mary's hand go limp in his and he turned back to his wife, but she'd slipped into unconsciousness.

"Mary?"

"Mary, can you hear me?"

"MARY!"

"Where the hell are they, Mike?"

"A neighbor saw a white van parked in front of the house, but he didn't get a look at the plates. I figured they'd be headed out of Vegas so I checked every air strip in a 200 mile radius. A jet took off from a private airport in Laughlin at 3:56 this morning--no flight plan. The guy working the tower said they headed west and they left a white van behind."

"So you're telling me they're somewhere in California? How the hell does that help, Mike?"

"I've got the tail number and I'm talking to ground controllers all over the state to see where they landed. Do you think they'll request another ransom?"

"No. This isn't about a ransom anymore," Ed responded grimly.

"Mr. D….you don't think. I mean, they wouldn't…what about the baby?"

Not wanting to think about Mike's question, Ed continued, "I've still got another six hours before we land. You've gotta take this one, Mike."

"I'm on it. I'll find them."

Mary felt like she was floating. She could hear voices in the distance, but she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. One sound she did recognize was the cry of a baby. It was loud and piercing, but Mary thought it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard. Struggling back to consciousness she opened her eyes, immediately closing them again at the onslaught of harsh fluorescent light.

"Hey, there you are," she heard someone say.

Was that Danny? It sounded like him, but her brain was still muddled.

"Mary, open your eyes. Everything is alright …just open your eyes and look at me."

Following his command, she opened her eyes again, this time to a softer light and the beautiful, but fuzzy face of her husband. "Hey," he said, unable to control the huge grin that spread across his face.

As she became more aware of her surroundings Mary immediately reached for her stomach, but Danny's hands quickly stopped her. "Don't," he said firmly.

Mistaking his tone, her voice broke as she asked, "Did I lose the baby?"

"Oh no, sweetie. She's right here," he told her, turning around to take the baby from the nurse, "but you've got stitches and I didn't want you to hurt yourself."

"Stitches?"

Danny laid the tiny bundle across her chest, helping her move her arms underneath their daughter.

"They had to do a caesarean, but everything's fine."

"Okay," Mary said quietly, unable to think about anything but the perfect little person she held in her arms.

"I'll leave you two alone," the nurse told them with a smile. "But I think you've got some pretty anxious visitors out here in the hallway."

"Yeah, will you tell them to give us a few more minutes?"

"Sure."

"So, tell me what happened," Mary asked, finally looking up at her husband.

"Well, you passed out right about the time a nice old man in his boat came along–the doctor said it was probably a combination of your blood pressure and exhaustion. Anyway, the man, Mr. Thornton, had seen the explosion and radioed the Coast Guard, but he helped us on board until the rescue chopper showed up and brought you to San Diego where this little one made her appearance."

"And she's okay?" After everything they'd been through, Mary just needed to know that everything really was okay.

"Perfect," was her husband's response as he placed a kiss on first Mary's forehead and then their daughter's.

Danny was able to keep the vultures at bay for about fifteen minutes before they loudly insisted on seeing Mary and the baby. Mike was the first to enter. He'd actually been waiting for them in San Diego when the Coast Guard helicopter arrived and had been with Danny while they waited for news on Mary and the baby.

Jillian, Delinda and Sam followed closely behind while Ed brought up the rear, having ordered the pilot to divert to San Diego instead of Las Vegas so that he could see for himself that his kids were okay.

"She's beautiful, Mary," Jillian gushed as Mary handed her the baby.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, thank God she doesn't look like Danny," Sam snorted, earning a glare from the proud papa himself.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Jillian told her. "I can already see little dimples, just like her Daddy."

"But she's definitely got Mary's pout," Ed added, peering over Jillian's shoulder.

"You're in big trouble man," Mike slapped Danny on the back and the entire group broke out into laughter, causing the baby to stir a bit in Jillian's arms.

A soft knock at the door silenced the group's laughter and they turned to notice a weathered looking man peek his head through the door.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize your family was here. I'll come back."

"No…please come in," Danny insisted, moving towards the older gentleman and ushering him into the room.

"I won't take up too much time. I just wanted to check on the young lady and the little one."

"Everyone this is Mr. Thornton. He's the one who rescued us."

"Well, I don't know about that. I was just in the right place at the right time."

Mr. Thornton moved across the room as Jillian handed the baby back to Mary.

"She sure is a pretty one," he commented, laying a small pink teddy bear on the bed next to them.

"Thank you….for everything. My husband and I are so grateful to you for your help."

"It was nothing," the man told her, looking down at the floor bashfully.

"Were you fishing, Mr. Thornton," Ed asked, curious as to what had brought this man into Danny and Mary's path.

"Not today," he replied, looking up at Ed. "Just out for some air. Don't usually go out that far, but something about the weather today just kept me heading south."

"Luckily for us."

"Yeah, I guess so. It's kinda funny. My Evie always said that boat was a lifesaver. She made me buy it after I retired. Said I was home all the time and in her hair–driving her crazy. She insisted I needed a hobby. So when I bought the boat, she called it her lifesaver. I thought it was funny so I named it after her–Evelyn's Lifesaver."

"Your wife's name is Evelyn?"

"Was. She died last year–cancer… so I guess it didn't really live up to its name."

Danny and Mary exchanged a knowing look, each of them realizing the irony and significance of his words.

"I don't know about that," Danny said, sitting down on the bed and putting his arm around his wife and child. "It certainly saved this Evelyn's life."

"Oh, that's awful sweet of you, but really…I'm sure you've got a perfectly fine name picked out for this little one."

"Actually, it was already one of the names on their list," Mike said, still in disbelief at this turn of events.

"And if being rescued from the middle of the ocean by a boat named 'Evelyn's Lifesaver' isn't a sign then I don't know what is," Sam chimed in.

"What do you think of that, Evie? Does that sound like a good name?" Mary cooed at the baby in her arms.

The baby gurgled and opened her eyes at the sound of her mother's voice and everyone in the room smiled.

"Sounds like she likes it too," Delinda noted.

"Well then, welcome to the world Evelyn Margaret McCoy."

"You're getting pretty good at that," Mary commented as Danny finished securing the diaper and moved the baby to the bed to swaddle her again.

"I told you I could do this. Did you doubt my ability, Mrs. McCoy?"

"Maybe just a little," Mary teased as she took the baby back from him.

Danny adjusted the lights in the room and then curled up beside Mary in the bed. The last of their visitors had left and the two of them were hoping to get a little bit of peace and quiet before Evie needed to be fed again. Neither one of them could take their eyes off the baby as she lay sleeping on the pillow across Mary's lap. Danny had always imagined this moment--watching Mary with their child, but the reality was so much better than anything his mind could have conjured up. Turning his gaze from Evie's face back to Mary's he noticed that tears were welling up in her eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, reaching up to stop the drop from making its way down her cheek.

"Everything she went through to get here….everything we all went through."

"It has been quite a roller coaster ride, but it's all over, Mary. None of them can hurt us anymore."

"I know. It still feels just a little bit unreal though. I still feel like someone's going to take her from me."

"Not as long as I'm breathing. I've got both of you and I'm never going to let you go."

Touched by her husband's sweet words, Mary leaned in so they could share a deep and passionate kiss. "I'm never going to let you go either, Danny. If this whole ordeal has taught me anything it's that there is nothing we can't survive as long as we have each other."

"Damn straight," he agreed with a smile, leaning in for another kiss as the baby slept on.


	51. Chapter 51

This is just a little piece of fluff I wrote in response to a challenge on the Danny/Mary forum All That I Want. It was to be based around a song that Danny and Mary were dancing to and take place entirely during that song. I chose to write mine within the Masquerade universe so this takes place sometime in the year after the end of Masquerade.

As for the show--while I enjoy conflict and mixing things up a bit I'm really disappointed that it doesn't look like we're going to get any kind of Mary/Danny reunion. I used to like Delinda, but she's changed somehow and I _really_ don't like her with Danny. I think they're too much alike. Another thing that's completely turned me off from her character is the Danny/Delinda fans I've encountered on the internet. They are so mean and hateful towards the character of Mary that it makes me want to root for her even more. Oh well, regardless of whether I continue to watch the show or not I'm going to continue to write stories about the Danny and Mary characters I fell in love with and who I think could have developed if the writers had given them a chance.

To those of you who have followed my stories I'm currently writing another one and will post it here as soon as all the chapters are complete. I've been really busy at work, but I promise I'm working on it every chance I get. Thanks for all the support and reviews.

Emmy

**Try A Little Tenderness**

_She may be weary _

_Women do get weary _

_Wearing the same shabby dress _

_And when she's weary _

_Try a little tenderness_

Danny could hear the soft sound of Michael Buble wafting from the kitchen as he silently entered the house. It was well past 2AM, but he still wasn't prepared for the stillness and the quiet that greeted him. The last few days had been filled with crying which had escalated into screaming that occasionally gave way to pitiful little sobs. Evie had come down with what they thought was a case of the sniffles, but had quickly developed into a full blown ear infection. Despite the doctor's and their own best efforts they'd been unable to alleviate her discomfort and she'd let them know in no uncertain terms just how unhappy and miserable she was. Not being able to give their baby girl even the slightest bit of comfort had worn heavily on both of them and only added to their terrible week.

_She may be waiting _

_Just anticipating _

_The things she may never possess _

_And while she's waiting _

_Try a little tenderness_

He tiptoed through the dining room, finally catching sight of his wife's silhouette bathed in the moonlight as she stood in the dark of the kitchen. She was eating what sounded suspiciously like Rice Krispies and Danny figured it was probably the first thing she'd eaten since he'd seen her yesterday morning.

Evie wasn't the only one who'd been sick that week. It was flu season at the Montecito and more than 1/3 of the staff was out. Danny had been forced to accompany one of Sam's whales to Tahoe yesterday for what was supposed to be a quick trip, but had turned into a 24 hour nightmare. Weather had grounded their flight and the roads had been closed due to ice leaving Danny stranded while Mary tended to a sick baby by herself on little to no sleep. The only good thing that had come of the trip was that Danny had been able to catch up on his rest so now that he was home he could take the next shift with Evie.

_It's not just sentimental _

_She's has her grief and her care _

_But a word so soft and gentle _

_Makes it easier to bear_

"Hey," he said softly, laying his hands on her shoulders and tenderly kneading the knots he encountered.

"Hey," she replied in an equally quiet voice. The fact that she hadn't startled showed that she'd known he was there and he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist—both of them unconsciously swaying to the music.

_You won't regret it_

_Women don't forget it._

_Love is their whole happiness _

_And it's all so easy _

_Try a little tenderness_

"She finally asleep?"

"Yeah."

Neither one of them said a word beyond that simple exchange. Danny could feel the weight of Mary's weariness and he slowly turned her in his arms so he could see her face. Her hair was piled in a tangled knot on top of her head and her t-shirt was covered in stains—most of which looked like that pink goo they'd been trying to force down Evie's throat. As he pulled her closer--their bodies moving in perfect rhythm--he brought his forehead to hers and took in her familiar scent eventhough it was currently tinged with diaper cream and Vicks VapORub.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered.

Mary had to chuckle considering what she probably looked like, but soon she was sighing contentedly as Danny's thumbs traced soothing circles on her back and she brought her own hands up to his neck, toying absently with the soft hair at the base of his skull.

_But a word –soft and gentle_

_Makes it easier to bear._

_You won't regret it._

_Cause women don't forget it_

_Love is their whole happiness_

_And it's all so easy_

_Just try a little tenderness_

He knew she was tired—that they should both be taking this opportunity to sleep, but they'd had such precious little time together since Evie had been born that he wasn't quite ready to abandon this stolen moment. Evie had brought a new joy to their life that neither one of them could have ever imagined, but she'd also introduced them to a whole new world that sometimes they weren't quite prepared for. They needed these times with each other—to recharge or to reconnect or just to remember how good it felt to simply be held.

_You've got to try_

_You've got to hold her_

_You've got to squeeze her_

_You've got to try and always please her_

As he heard the music crescendo, Danny tenderly kissed the tip of her nose, running his hands up into her hair so he could cradle her head. Mary's eyelids drooped as she tried to meet his gaze and he smiled softly before leaning down and touching his lips to hers. Despite her exhaustion she responded in kind, deepening the kiss with a sudden burst of desire. Danny faltered a bit in surprise, but quickly recovered. He lifted her into his arms and made his way towards their bedroom. His heart began to race a bit in anticipation, but it quickly slowed as he felt Mary's body surrender to fatigue, her head falling heavily to his shoulder.

_You won't regret it_

_You won't regret it_

_Try a little tenderness_

He stopped in the middle of the living room to look at her for just a moment before carrying her the rest of the way to bed. As he laid her gently down he made a mental note to schedule some time for just the two of them once things settled at home and at work. He figured after this week they could both use a little tenderness.


End file.
